Among Us
by fooboo24
Summary: Zuko invites Aang and his friends to the Fire Nation palace for a little vacation. However, as he begins to catch up with Katara, the pair decide to go on an adventure. Will they be successful in their goals for this journey, or will they fail? Zutara.
1. The Invitation

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender. *wishes she did*

**Author's Notes:** New chapter story ahead! And this time, it's one of my favourite animes/cartoons ever, Avatar: The Last Airbender! I love it sooooo much, it is one of my favourite shows ever, and I just recently watched all the way through it again and just... re-fell in love with it. And this story is featuring my favourite couple from that series, Zutara (I know they never become romantic)! So, on with the story!

~P~

_Chapter 1 – The Invitation_

~P~

A year had passed since that fateful battle between his father - Fire Lord Ozai - and his friend - Avatar Aang. A year since he had nearly been killed by his own sister... Zuko turned under the covers of his bed, staring out his large window and pulling a hand up to the large scar in the middle of his chest. Unlike the scar on his eye, this one was still tender, still painful to the touch. He cringed as he felt at it, remembering how he had been struck down and then saved by Katara. He owed her his life.

It became apparent to Zuko now how much he missed his friends. It had only been a year, but it had been a busy year full of royal responsibilities for the newly crowned Fire Lord. All he wanted to do now, even if just for a bit, was to see them again and pretend it was like old times: before he had all those duties that he had once yearned for.

_Well, I am allowed to take a break whenever I please..._ thought Zuko to himself as he flipped back over to stare at the wall. _Maybe I should invite them for a visit...?_ He pondered for a few moments, before nodding. It would be a nice chance to catch-up with everyone, and he could thank Katara more formally once again.

Slowly arising from his bed, Zuko walked a few feet forward before coming to a desk. Sitting down, he pulled out a piece of paper from a drawer and began to write a letter. Within minutes, it was written, and wanting to send it out immediately, he set off to search for a messenger hawk somewhere in the palace.

Smiling as he walked down the hall, he already couldn't wait until they arrived.

~P~

"Squawk!"

A shrill sound cut through calm air of the Temple of the Western Air Nomads, echoing. Sokka grumbled, flipping over onto his stomach and throwing his pillow over his head. "Someone get the stupid bird messaging thing... just make it shut up!" Momo, who had been sleeping on his stomach, worked his way under the pillow, as well. Toph couldn't care less, and was snoring away in the corner of the spacious expanse.

Katara was fast asleep, as well, and Aang, not wanting to bird to awaken his girlfriend, sat up, yawned, and they air-rushed over to the hawk. "Okay, shh, shh," he told it, removing the message from the pouch on his back. As he opened it and began to read it to himself, Katara slowly made her way up, having been awakened anyhow after she noticed that the warm person she had been cuddling with had left her alone.

"What is it, Aang?" she yawned out, wiping at her eyes and pushing back her long hair.

"It's... a letter. From Zuko," he said simply to her.

"What does it say?"

"'Dear friends'," Aang began, "'It has been far too long since we have last seen each other! I would think you would agree. And so, to fix this, I would like for you all to come and visit me in the capital for a significant amount of time. It would be greatly appreciated on my part to see you all again... Love, Zuko'."

At this point, Katara's eyes brightened and she perked up. "Zuko wants to see us? I'd love to go the capital – this temple _is_ getting kind of boring..."

Toph, unable to stay asleep any longer because of the talking, wandered up to the pair. "I'm going to have to agree with her, Twinkletoes. There's not much to do here after a while – I've explored the entire place. Twice."

Aang was about to open his mouth to speak then, but Sokka turned over and yelled at the three of them. "Will you all just be quiet? I'm trying to sleep here!"

Katara gave her brother a look. "We're discussing whether or not we're going to the capital of the Fire Nation," she crossed her arms.

"What? No way. I don't wanna go there! Aang have ended the war, but I still don't like that place," he argued, awake now and sitting up, with Momo chittering away at him, irritated.

"Huh, that's too bad," Katara feigned disappointment at him, turning around and winking at Aang and Toph. "You know, we'd be staying in the palace since Zuko's inviting us. And you know what they have in the palace? The softest beds in the entire country where you could sleep _all day long_. But you know, your choice, Sokka."

At the very sound of 'sleep all day long', Sokka was out of bed and packing things. "Okay, I'm in. Just let me sleep in peace when we get there. Also... I guess it would be kind of nice to have the family back together again." He smiled then before walking over to the Appa, petting the giant air beast gently and nodding approvingly. "Yeah, I'm okay with it."

Katara pumped her hand in the air before high-fiving Toph. She then turned to Aang. "So, what do you say, Aang?" she asked. "Want to go to the capital?"

"Well, I don't know..." he trailed. It wasn't that he didn't want to go, it was that he knew some people – namely loyal followers of Ozai – were still living within the capital, and would be less than impressed to see the guy who had taken him down within their city's limits.

"Aww, c'mon, Aang," Toph whined at the Airbender, clasping her hands together.

"Yeah, Aang, you've been training day and night for the past few months – you of all people deserve a good break... and what better place to do that within the comfortable leisure of the Fire Nation palace?" Katara pleaded, a big smile on her face.

Aang looked down at the ground thoughtfully then. He _had _been working very hard for a few weeks now...

"Sure, why not?" he shrugged, a smile coming onto his face.

"Whoo!" Toph cheered. "I'm gonna start packing up." Katara nodded, as well, and followed Toph off to start cleaning up her things. Aang followed suit, and dug through his small bag of things to find a tiny vile of ink and a brush. Setting down the paper on a pair of steps, he flipped it over and wrote:

'Yes. Thank you for inviting us, Zuko. We hope to be there by either late tonight or tomorrow morning.'

Standing up, the Avatar returned the letter to the hawk, placed it in the messenger pouch, and the bird was off. Ten minutes later, everyone had gathered their belongings and they were all eagerly sitting atop Appa.

Turning to look at his friends, Aang grinned. "And we're off to the Fire Nation capital! Appa, yip, yip!" And at that, Appa took off into the sky, following in the direction the bird had taken off to.

~P~

"Fire Lord Zuko, a messenger hawk has arrived for you."

Zuko turned around, both delighted and a little confused. He'd sent that messenger hawk out less than nine hours ago, and it was already back? Walking over to the guard, he extended his arm for the bird before bowing to the guard and dismissing him.

Setting the hawk down and removing the pouch from its back, he read the quick message. His heartbeat hastened at their conformation, excited for their return, but then he began to panic. According to this message, he only had a little more than half a day to prepare for their arrival!

He began to pace. "Okay, what do I start with," he placed his hand on his chin to think.

Right then, Mai entered the room. "What's got you so stressed out all of a sudden?" she asked laxly, leaning against the large doorframe.

Zuko stopped, and turned to face her. "I invited Aang and his friends to visit us here for the next few weeks. I hope you don't mind, I know I didn't tell you and—"

"Hey, it's fine," she smiled at him, walking over and putting her arms around his neck. "But that doesn't explain why you were pacing..."

"I've got to get their rooms ready. My duty as Fire Lord means that those that I invite here feel the utmost comfort," he told her calmly. "But they're coming sooner than I thought – I thought that maybe they were at the Eastern Air Temple, not the Western! So I've got to begin preparing now!" At that, he was now flustered again. He broke from her grip, pacing again. "Oh, what do I start with..." he repeated himself from before. He was now thoroughly set on making their stay perfect. Distractedly, he wandered from the room, mumbling incoherencies to himself.

Mai simply rolled her eyes and smiled – that was her Zuko – before following him to help him out with the preparations.

~P~

**Author's Notes:** Chapter one, done! I hope to update his very soon – I'm quite pumped for this. It's my first chapter story in a while – let's hope I can actually keep focused on it! I guess I should put some insight into what is going on here - it takes place a year, quite obviously, after Ozai was defeated and Zuko is just now a great, albeit bored, Fire Lord. Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Toph decided to keep exploring the world and Aang decided to continue training his bending abilities, and they mostly "live" in the Western Air Temple. And it's main universe, not AU. Okay, that's all!


	2. Arrival and a Request

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Avatar.

~P~

_Chapter 2 – Arrival and a Request_

~P~

It had been a long day of flying, but by late evening, Aang and his friends had all arrived at the Fire Nation capital, namely at its palace.

Appa landed on the stylized tiles gratefully, nearly collapsing in his exhaustion. Everyone collected their things and got off the flying bison quickly so as to let him rest. As Katara passed Aang, she handed him his staff, and turning to Appa, he petted his large nose and said, "You've had a long day, buddy. You have a nice, long rest now."

Appa yawned at him and then licked him, causing Aang to laugh.

"Come on, Aang!"

Aang turned around to see all three of his friends standing at the top of a small set of stairs that would lead into a wing of the palace and bring them to Zuko. Momo was flying in an eight-shape slightly above them. Katara was waving at him, telling him to hurry up.

"I'm coming!" he called back. Giving Appa one last pat on the nose, Aang turned around and ran up the stairs to join his friends. For a short while, they wandered about the corridors, only half-sure of which way there were going.

"Do any of you remember which way leads to the main tea room? I figure that's where Zuko'll want to meet us," Katara said. Everyone shook their heads in response. Throwing her hands up in the air in frustration, Katara grumbled, "Well, that's just great. We'll be wandering aro—"

"You're here!"

All four of the friends turned to see the Fire Lord at the end of the hallway, his arms outstretched in welcome. Behind him was Mai.

Everyone smiled, and they all quickly met in the center of the corridor.

"You're earlier than I thought you guys were going to be, though - or else, I would have been outside to greet you. But then again," he turned to Aang and grinned, "you never were one to waste time, were you, Aang?" He chuckled a bit.

"Not at all!" Aang sniggered back.

Next, Zuko acknowledged Toph and Sokka. He bowed to Toph, who did so back, but just when he was about to bow to the young sword master, he was engulfed in a sudden, short hug. "It's great to see ya, buddy!" Sokka shouted into the Fire Lord's ear, releasing him.

Zuko's eyes were widened a bit in shock, but then he allowed himself to smile at Sokka. "Same to you."

Lastly, but not least, Zuko turned to Katara. Instead of giving her a short, curt bow, he gave her a warm smile and this time, he was the one who outstretched his arms to her. "Katara," he spoke softly. "I'm glad to see you again."

Katara smiled right back at him, and stepped into his hug without hesitation and closed her eyes. Squeezing him slightly, she replied with, "I'm happy to see you, too."

When the hug lasted a little too long for the people around them, Mai coughed to break the awkwardness and signal her boyfriend out of his reverie. Zuko's eyes snapped open then, and he awkwardly retreated from Katara. "O-oh, yes," he turned to Mai. "You guys remember Mai, my girlfriend. And Mai, I think you obviously remember them, too."

Everyone nodded in acknowledgment at Mai, and she nodded back.

"Now, I'd like to show you where you'll be staying. Each of you has a separate room, I hope that's okay," Zuko said, looking back and forth between the group.

Sokka nodded, but Aang nervously raised a finger. "Actually, Zuko, is it okay if I share a room with Katara?"

Zuko blinked at the boy, feeling his heart drop slightly. "I'm sorry, Aang," he squared his shoulders stiffly. "The rooms have already been set up for one individual, and one individual only. You'll just have to deal with it."

Aang looked to the ground disappointedly. "Okay..."

Turning around, Zuko started off down the hallway, beckoning for his guests to follow him, which they did. As they walked, Katara inched closer to Aang. "Hey," she whispered to her boyfriend. "I bet it'd be okay with Zuko if we shared a room once or twice during this trip. We'll find a way to work it out, okay?" She smiled at him as she said this.

Aang's eyes brightened up at this, and grinned at her. "Okay, Katara." As a thank-you, he leaned up and kissed her quickly, causing a cute blush to grow on her face.

Zuko, who was about seven feet ahead of them, had heard everything they had said, but he had to pretend he didn't. Rolling his eyes at the couple inwardly, he just continued on down the hallway to the main corridors of the palace.

~P~

"Okay, Aang, this is your room," Zuko pulled down on the door handle to the large room that Aang would be calling home for the next little while. He had already shown Toph and Sokka to their separate rooms, and gotten a few servants to handle Appa and bring him to his fixed sleeping area. Mai had gone off on her own tangent, quickly boring of the group.

The Airbender's mouth hung open at the set up. It was highly ornate, with intricate drapes hanging from every corner, golden tassels hanging off each one. There was a large carpet in the center which had jewel-toned flowers stitched into it, and in the very middle of the room was his bed – it had a canopy and dark, forest-green sheets on it, making it look very inviting. Pots of flowers were set at the four corners of the room along with other various golden decorations. Count Aang impressed!

Aang ran forward and hopped on the bed, jumping up and down on it. Momo followed him, flying just slightly above the canopy of the bed, squeaking in delight.

"I hope it's to your liking," Zuko said formally, but he couldn't stop the smile that was forming on his face as he watched Aang bounce around the soft bed, Katara giggling at his side.

"You bet, I do!" Aang called at him, laughing the entire time.

Katara and Zuko watched him for a short bit longer, before deciding that he just wanted to bounce along, and so they closed the door, leaving him to do what he pleased.

The two friends walked down the hallway a good distance until they arrived at yet another door. "And here is your room, Katara," Zuko said, waving his hand to the side. He pushed the door open then, and it revealed a room much like the others, but the color scheme of the room was much softer than the rest, consisting of light, icy blues instead of daunting reds.

Katara gasped lightly, stepping forward into. "It's—"

"Different than the rest?" Zuko inquired, and she turned around and nodded. He smiled. "I will admit, I spent a little extra time on your room than the others."

Katara smiled back at him. "Thank you, Zuko, for inviting us."

"No, it's my pleasure. By the way," he said quickly, wanting to get his point across before he tried to stop himself, "it will be dinner soon. I'll send some people to inform the others. Now... I was hoping, Katara, that after dinner we could... talk. You know where my room is, right?" Katara nodded. "Well, I'd like to meet you there... say, an hour after dinner. Would that be okay with you?"

"Of course," she answered back.

"Okay, then. See you in a few minutes." He gave her one last look before shutting the door and going to return to his own corridors.

~P~

Dinner went by quickly and uneventfully. It was filled with idle chatter of catching up between Zuko and the others, but Katara refrained from talking to the young Fire Lord, knowing that in a short amount of time, she'd be able to talk to him all she wanted.

But before the Waterbender knew it, she was wandering down the halls of the palace, making her way to Zuko's room. Though it took some time, she found it without too much trouble. Without hesitation, she yanked the double doors open, and was presented with Zuko's immaculate set up of a room. It was bigger than any other room she had seen in the palace, and there was a large window that showed a grandiose view of the city below it.

The room was pitch black, but a small source of light shone off to its side, and Katara figured that it was Zuko's private tea room. Walking over to it, she immediately saw Zuko sitting at a small table in its center, waiting patiently for her. Two tea cups sat on the table, surrounding a pretty little steaming teapot.

Despite how patiently Zuko seemed to be waiting, he also appeared to be a bit nervous, Katara noted. Deciding to spare him waiting any longer, she stepped forward into the room, revealing herself.

"Hello, Zuko," she said to him brightly, smiling.

Zuko snapped out of his nervous state of mind upon her appearance. "Oh, h-hello." Standing up, he waved his hand out to the table, formally inviting her to sit down. "Please, join me."

Katara stepped forward and sat down on the little red pillow that lie in front of the table. Zuko sat back down, as well.

As Zuko leaned forward and took hold of the teapot and began to pour the two some tea, Katara decided to strike up some conversation. "So, how have you been lately, Zuko? I've been waiting to ask you since we first arrived."

Finishing pouring the ginseng, Zuko placed the teapot down before looking up at her. "I've been great, actually. As stressful a job as being Fire Lord is, I really enjoy it. It's... nice."

From that point on, the pair talked for what felt like hours. They laughed and caught up on what had happened with them in the past year. When it seemed as though there was nothing left to talk about, Katara, who did not want to leave, asked the question that had been nipping the back of her mind all night.

"So," she took a little sip of her tea. "Is there a reason, um, in particular, that you wanted to talk to me? You know, other than to catch up... which has been really nice, by the way..."

Zuko blinked at her, before turning away, blushing. "Actually," he mumbled. "There is something... I wanted to thank you, Katara."

Katara raised her eyebrow at this. "Thank me for what?"

"For... healing me. I know, I know, I've thanked you a million times over it, but I really just felt the need to say it to you again. Without you, I would not be here, and... well, I don't really want to think about the possibility of myself not being here. Just... thank you, thank you so much," Zuko admitted, looking at the floor now in embarrassment.

Before the Fire Lord knew it, he was being engulfed in a strong hug, and when he looked back up in surprise, Katara had her arms around his neck and was embracing him tightly. After a few seconds, she pulled back and looked into his amber eyes. "You're welcome, Zuko. You're very, very welcome. But like I said a year ago, I should be the one thanking you - you took that hit for me, _you _saved _my _life. So, again, thank you," she said, smiling at him. He nodded, smiling at her. Then something in her mind clicked, and she gave him a look. "Speaking of healing, how is your scar doing? Have you been following the protocols I gave you?"

He nodded at her. "I think it's been healing okay, but then again, I'm obviously no expert." At the mention of the scar, Zuko brought his hand up to it and held it over his clothes.

"Well, then, let's take a look," Katara said, pulling off of him and kneeling beside him. Ever-so-slowly, Zuko removed his hands from his chest and allowed Katara to remove his robes. She moved her hands over the red scar tenderly, feeling at its condition and that of the muscles around it, frowning a bit. Her gentle touch caused Zuko to blush, but it also made him cringe at the contact to his sensitive scar. "It's made a little bit of progress, but it's still going to be a long time before it's in the condition of your eye scar..." She looked up at his other scar then, and brought her hands up to feel at it, too. His eyes peered deeply into hers as she looked at the red flesh surrounding his left eye, and it took everything Katara had not to turn away sheepishly. However, before she could, she quickly went back to the other one. "Um... do you have any water I could use?"

Zuko nodded and pointed out into his bedroom. "There's a pond outside..." he said quietly.

Katara got up and walked out of the tea room and across his room until arriving at the large window. She walked out of it slightly, moving her arms and collecting water. He waited patiently until she returned, kneeling down again and placing the cool water on his scar. Within seconds, the water began to glow, signalling that she was healing.

"Is it okay if you lay down, Zuko? It's a bit difficult to heal your scar like this," Katara remarked.

"Okay." He laid down slowly, his face contorting a bit in pain.

"I'm sorry for hurting you," Katara whispered guiltily. Zuko simply waved it off and smiled reassuringly at her. "Okay, then. Just relax, and I'll continue healing you."

The pair sat there in silence for a long, long while. After a while, it became too much for Zuko, and he felt the need to break it. Speaking the first thing that came to his mind, he said, "So, uh, who did you end up using that Spirit Water on?"

Katara stopped healing him for a second and raised an eyebrow at him.

"You know, that water you had when we were in the catacombs under Ba Sing Se. That special water."

Katara's eyes brightened in realization, but then darkened as she looked away. "I... used it to heal Aang after your sister struck him down..." she trailed.

Zuko's eyes widened and immediately guilt washed over him. "O-oh," was all he could muster out. Yet another silence cast over them, this time, much, much more awkward. Wishing to break it, he unthinkingly said, "Could you imagine... if my Uncle and Aang hadn't come when they did? If you had used it on me... if that happened, then—" It occurred to Zuko what he was saying and what _would _have happened, and Katara stopped healing him and looked away, tears sprouting in her eyes.

_Aang'd be dead_, Zuko thought to himself, frightened by the possibility. He looked at Katara's face then and noticed the immense sadness in her eyes. In that second, he knew he would do anything to make it go away. Taking her warm hand in his, he squeezed it. "I-I'm sorry, Katara. I should have just kept my mouth shut..."

"No, no, it's okay," she reassured him, wiping at her eyes and turning back to him. He knew how sensitive she must have been to the subject of Aang's possible death, as was to be expected. "It's okay, Zuko, because that didn't happen, and Aang is still here. So there's no need to apologize."

Zuko nodded at her and gave her a crooked, half-hearted smile, but he still felt guilty. A few more minutes passed before Katara said something that nearly made his heart stop. "What... what if we were to go to the North Pole, Zuko? Like, together. If we went there, then I could use the water from the Spirit Oasis there to heal your scars, both of them..."

Zuko shot up then and blinked at her, eyes wide and heart beating rapidly. "R-really, Katara? You'd do that for me?"

Katara looked up at him then, blushing. "Of course! B-but, then again, you can't just leave like that, and neither can I... I mean, we just arrived here three or so hours ago..."

"Actually," Zuko, who was now lively as ever, scooted closer to her. "I can leave here whenever I want. I'm the Fire Lord – I can take a vacation, if you will, whenever I please. But, you're the healer here, so it is ultimately your decision."

Katara looked away from him and then back, writhing her hands together. "Really, Zuko? Would you want to leave, just like _that_?"

"Anything to rid myself of this scar," he pointed to it, grimacing.

Katara's eyes wavered uncertainly, but then she pulled back her fist triumphantly, smiling meekly at him. "Well, okay, then! I-I guess we're going to the North Pole!"

As Zuko stared at Katara then, his heart beating so quickly he swore it was going to burst out of his chest, he could think of no one he was more grateful for. "Thank you, Katara. I can't stress enough how amazing you are," he whispered at her, leaning over and hugging her tightly.

Katara smiled bashfully then, turning and hugging him back. A few minutes passed, and they released each other. "So, will Aang be okay with you taking me to the North Pole?" Zuko asked.

"Sure, he will," Katara replied. "Why wouldn't he be?"

"Oh, uh, no reason," Zuko said, rubbing the back of his head. _You know, maybe because it would be only the two of us together for a long, long amount of time...?_ Zuko's face flushed pink at the thought.

The two sat there for a little while longer as Katara continued to heal him. They talked enthusiastically of the journey ahead. When Katara finished, she stood up and helped Zuko up, as well.

"Thank you for the tea," she bowed to him. "We'll discuss the trip further tomorrow, okay?" He nodded at her. Smiling at him, she waved. "Well, see you in the morning."

"See you," he smiled back.

Katara turned then, and was just about to exit the room when she turned back around and planted a quick kiss on Zuko's cheek. She said nothing as she blushed up at him, just smiled. And then, as quickly as she had given him the kiss, had she left the room.

The young Fire Lord simply stood there, stunned. He slowly brought his hand up to his cheek and just held it there. His face then slipped into a dreamy trance, and he smiled to himself dumbly. Yeah, he definitely couldn't wait to go on this trip with Katara...

~P~

**Author's Notes:** Relatively boring chapter this was, wasn't it? But I promise, it'll get less boring as we get into the main plot of the story. Until then, adios, amigos!


	3. Clarification

**Disclaimer: ** I do not own Avatar.

~P~

_Chapter 3 – Clarification_

~P~

Zuko had gone to bed that night smiling. He could not wait to go to the North Pole – so he could finally rid himself of the scars that marred his body. But as he laid there in his bed, hands folded across his stomach, staring at the canopy of his bed, his mind began to wander to other things that would happen on the journey...

He thought about how much time he would be spending with Katara, to which he smiled just a little wider. If he was being honest with himself, then, yes, he did like her a lot. They had been through a lot together, and to say he didn't have feelings for her would be a lie. But then again, he had Mai, whom he also adored dearly. He wouldn't just leave her for these feelings for Katara. Besides, she was with Aang.

For hours after that, his mind continued to wander... until he realized something.

Because they were travelling to the North Pole, they'd have to fly, assuming they went on Appa, over a good portion of the Earth Kingdom, as well as over the majority of his Fire Nation... as he went over the details, he wondered weakly if Katara would allow him to do it:

_To search for his mother._

Zuko shifted uncomfortably in his bed at the sudden thought of it, his heart racing. They would be covering a vast amount of land in their trip, and there was the possibility that his mother could be somewhere in those territories they were crossing.

As the idea began to snowball further in his mind, he started to add facts onto it. He remembered forcedly talking to his father about her whereabouts, but he had been useless and simply sneered at his son for "still wanting his mommy". Azula, in all of her insanity, had been no help at all, either. All Zuko really knew was that she was alive. He also figured she was either, one, still in the Fire Nation, or two, in the Earth Kingdom somewhere. Considering she was of Fire Nation heritage, he assumed that she wouldn't settle down in either of the Poles, and she couldn't go to any of the Air Nomad Temples even if she wanted to – you literally needed to be an Airbender to even access them, and if not, with extreme difficulty, and besides, Aang had been to all of the temples on his trip and there had been no sign of Ursa in either of them.

Flipping on to his stomach, he yawned, and decided to just push those thoughts out of his head until morning, also making a mental note to ask Katara at some point if she would allow him the courtesy of looking for his long-gone mother.

~P~

Katara woke up that morning with a wide smile on her face. All she could think of, like Zuko, was their impending trip to the North Pole. One thing both had neglected to think of, though, was informing and asking their significant others. Katara wouldn't ever say it aloud, but she didn't think Mai was the reasonable type, and could easily see her flipping at Zuko at such a short notice for a trip, especially one that wasn't even involving her.

And so Katara made it her first priority to talk it over with Aang, and then proceed to get Sokka and Toph's inputs. After washing up and getting dressed, the Waterbender made her way to Aang's room, and opened the door to find him meditating in front of his bed. Knowing Aang, he could already have been up for hours doing so.

Not wishing to interrupt his concentration, she closed his door as quietly as possible and stood at his door. A few minutes passed before one of Aang's eyes opened, peering directly at her, the other following shortly afterwards. Jumping up giddily, he smiled widely at her. "Oh, hey, Katara!"

He walked over to her and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek as a morning greet. "Hi, Aang," she responded back, smiling.

He wrapped an arm around her waist then, and he airbent them across the short distance of the room to his bed, plopping both down upon arrival.

"So," he said, smile still etched on his face. "What brings you to my room so early in the morning? You know, not that I'm unhappy to see you or something like that, just wondering."

Katara looked down at her lap, her hands held together firmly in it. "Actually, Aang, I wanted to talk to you about something..."

She looked back up at him, and he nodded, signalling her to continue. "I know this seems kind of out of the blue, considering we just got here and everything, but I was talking with Zuko last night, and we got talking about his scar and how he wanted to heal it, and before I knew it I was offering to take him to the North Pole to heal it and—"

Aang cut her off. "Katara, slow down and breathe. You don't have to tell me everything in between – just state your point."

Katara, following his advice, breathed in deeply, and then said what she wanted to originally say: "I'm basically asking if you'd be okay with Zuko and me going to the North Pole."

She looked at Aang straight on then, and was greeted with a blank face staring at her. He blinked at her a few times, before returning to his usual goofy grin. "Sure, of course, that'd be fine," he shrugged.

Katara simply mimicked his actions, blinking right back at him. She had figured that he would put up at least a little fight, want a little more explanation, possibly even be a bit jealous. But no, he was just his usual happy self. She was actually kind of disappointed in his lack of apparent envy, but she brushed it off and hid it well. "R-really?" she inquired at him.

"Like I said, Katara, of course!" Aang's smile grew even wider. He then raised his eyebrow. "How were you guys planning on getting there, though?"

Katara opened her mouth to answer, but then closed it upon realizing she didn't have one. In her and Zuko's excitement, she had failed to think about their transportation method. But upon realization, she gave Aang a slightly pleading look, hoping he would catch on. He did.

"Ooh," he gave her a sly look, narrowing his eyes and crossing his arms but still keeping the same smile on his lips. "I bet you wanna borrow Appa, don't you?"

Katara nodded guiltily. Hey, it only made sense at this point! Any other mode of transportation and she and Zuko wouldn't be back for nearly six months!

"Plleeeassse?" Katara begged in an off-key voice.

Aang pretended to look to the sky, contemplating his answer. After a few seconds, he raised his index finger matter-of-factly and turned to her. "Well, I guess I could..." he kidded at her.

"Oh, really, Aang? That'd be fantastic!" Katara then rushed forward at him, throwing both of them back and giving the Avatar a tight embrace which caused him to laugh brightly.

Wrapping his arms around her and giving her a light squeeze, he said, "Like I said before, of course, Katara. I love you and trust you with Appa, not to mention, Appa loves you, too. He really likes Zuko, too. And I mean, how else would you get there? Boat?"

Katara's face flushed brightly at him saying "I love you". They didn't say it often, but when they did, they really meant it. She really did love Aang, and he loved her. Leaning down, she nuzzled her nose into his neck, whispering, "Thank you, Aang. And I love you, too."

Her infectious blush caught on to his face, too, and when she pulled back, the pair stared into each other's eyes. It had been a while since they had had an intimate moment together and they were cherishing it now that they had one.

A few minutes passed of them just taking the look of the other in the eyes, and then feeling her lids flutter shut, Katara leaned into Aang. Aang followed her actions naturally, and within seconds, they were kissing lightly, sweetly. They laid there holding each other for a long time, and while Katara knew that she should have been going to ask her brother for his "permission" next, she couldn't help but stay there for just a little longer with Aang.

So when they both retreated from the kiss and gave each other another look, the dreamy, glassy gaze Aang gave her was more than enough to convince her stay there before she leaned down and gave him another dainty kiss.

~P~

Zuko walked down the main corridor, looking for Mai. She spent most of her time either in her room, the library, or the main tea room, and since Zuko had already checked the first two, he was making his way to the main tea room in hope that he would find her so he could talk to her about the trip.

Within a few minutes, he arrived in said room, and to his luck, his girlfriend was sitting out on the little deck that was connected to it.

Walking up to her, he smiled down at her and was about to open to his mouth to speak to her, but she instead spoke first, scowling characteristically and turning away. "So, I heard about your big trip with the Waterbender."

Zuko was taken aback, and he blinked at her. "What? Did Katara tell you?"

Crossing her arms, her scowl widened. "News and gossip spreads pretty quickly around a palace, Zuko, especially when it involves the ruler themselves and another girl who happens to _not _be his significant other."

Zuko quickly caught on to her jealousy. "Mai, I—"

"Why didn't you tell me, Zuko?" she suddenly shot up out of her seat. "Does my opinion matter at all to you?"

The Fire Lord frowned at her, holding his hands in front of him defensively. "If you want the truth, Mai, I was just coming to talk to you about it. And I couldn't have told you yet because this is the first time I've seen you all day – also, it was something Katara and I came up with on a whim late last night. We talked about it, and it developed from there."

When she didn't respond to what he had said, he continued. "Mai, your opinion is imperative to me. If you're not okay with this, then I'll call it off."

Mai, who had turned around to effectively annoy Zuko, said one word, "No."

"What?"

"You heard me. _No_," she turned around then. "But then again, it's not really my call, like you think it is. You're the bloody Fire Lord, Zuko, it doesn't matter what I say – you can do whatever you like."

Zuko walked up to her then, placing his hands on her arm and allowing his eyes to bore into hers. She tried to wrestle out of his grip, but he gave her a stern look. "Just stop and listen to what I have to say, Mai, please."

Normally she would have just walked away from him in this point, but because this was _her _Zuko – _and not the Waterbender's_, she thought defensively – and because there was something compelling in his voice, she decided to stay and listen. However, this did not knock off the irritated edge in her words. "What?" she snarled.

"What is going on with you?" he asked, squeezing her arms gently, again frowning at her.

"Oh, Agni, I wonder what!" she threw her hands into the air then, distancing them. "You're running off to the North Pole with a Waterbender! One would think the ever-honourable Fire Lord Zuko would have the common decency to break it off with his girlfriend before he went off with another gi—"

What with her little temper flare up, Zuko felt himself getting worked up, as well. Balling his fists loosely, he asked her, annoyed, "Let me guess, you heard that from some servant?"

Mai refused to answer for a second, but then nodded.

As quickly as Zuko had gotten angry, he calmed down. She was just misinformed – he needed to set her straight. Relaxing his tensed form, he inquired quietly, "Mai, do you even know the real reason I am going away to the North Pole with Katara?"

Spinning around, she gave him a dirty look. "I just _told _you! What are you, st—"

"I'm going there so she can heal my scars. _Permanently_."

The impact of Zuko's words hit Mai, and she retreated from her defensive stance, blinked, and then in realization, turned to look at the ground in shame.

Walking up to her and taking up his previous position of holding her arms, he voiced his next question. "Mai." At her name, she looked up at him, and he brought his hand up to wipe away a tear that fell from her eye. "Are you jealous of Katara?"

Her eyes widening, she tried to push him away again, to deny it, but he would not allow it, and he held her steadfast.

"N-no!" she said weakly, unconvincingly to him.

Leaning in closer to her, he embraced her and whispered into her ear. "You know, there's no need to be. Yes, I'm going with Katara, but I'm going with Katara in particular because I know that she has the ability to effectively heal them and I trust her fully. That's why I'm going. Not to run off with her, but to have her heal me."

"I can't trust her, Zuko..." Mai trailed, looking away guiltily.

"You don't have to. But you can trust me," he nuzzled lovingly against her hair, trying to back up his point.

"What if—"

"I promise, nothing will happen. We are strictly friends, Mai, nothing more, nothing less. You, however," he retreated from their embrace, and peered down at her. "I..."

Mai's ears perked then, thinking he was going to tell her 'I love you', and she had to stop herself from smiling widely.

However, Zuko had paused to reassess what he had said. He hadn't been lying when he said that he and Katara were just friends, because they were, but he couldn't say that he didn't have romantic feelings for her, because he did. But like he had told himself earlier that morning, he wasn't about to leave Mai alone for what could be fleeting feelings for Katara. And so he kept his mouth shut, and continued his sentence with, "I will always be yours."

Mai's face fell, but she made sure it was unnoticeable. He had avoided saying _it_ once again. She had never said it to his face before, but she did love him. In an attempt to prompt him to say it, she decided it was finally worth a try. "Zuko," she looked up at him and cupped his cheek. "I love you and I'm sorry for... assuming."

All he did was smile weakly at her, before leaning down and kissing her. Though she wanted to act despondent, she decided to just enjoy the moment for once, knowing full well that she should take advantage of his few sensitive moments – like this – when she could. So instead of being an unemotional deadweight, she decided to reciprocate the kiss, and wrapping her arms around his neck, she pressed her lips against his with more vigour than ever before, and reassured herself over and over again that nothing was going to occur between the Fire Lord and the Waterbender during the trip.

Pulling back from the kiss, Zuko smiled at her again, this time more brightly. She loved how handsome he looked when he was happy. "So, am I allowed to go?" he asked her quietly, jokingly.

Nodding, she said nothing more, and leaned in for another kiss, which the Fire Lord easily obliged to.

~P~

Katara played with the water in the Turtleduck pond, making it ripple and bubble. It was relaxing – the entire atmosphere of the garden. It was excessively grand, overly gorgeous. But she wasn't complaining.

She had talked to Sokka after she had finished her... talking-to with Aang. He had been mostly reluctant about it, but eventually gave in, and even if he had said 'no' as his final answer, she would have gone anyway. He wasn't the boss of her! But still, it was nice to have her brother's support. She had spoken to Toph afterwards, who appeared as though she couldn't care less, though she did hint that she would miss 'Sugar Queen', which made Katara smile.

Because she was just lost in her thoughts and just the general peace of the area, Katara didn't notice when Zuko came up and stood behind her.

He waited for a while and leaned on a tree, letting her just enjoy herself and the serenity. She looked gorgeous right then – so carefree and happy and calm. He admired the way her hair waved ever so slightly, how her eyes lit up at the little baby Turtleducks swimming about, and most of all, how she just smiled. He had never seen such a genuinely happy person as Katara.

Shifting his stance and crossing his arms, he inadvertently stepped on a twig, spooking Katara and alerting her of his presence. Turning around, her eyes went wide as she asked, "Um... how long have you been there?"

Blushing, Zuko rubbed the back of his head sheepishly and looked away. "U-uh, not long, actually," he lied.

Her cheeks flushed when she noticed his did, and she patted the spot beside her. "Join me."

Zuko smiled at her, and did as he was requested. He sat down beside her closely, and for a long moment, they sat in perfect, comfortable silence.

Eventually, Katara broke it when she saw Zuko stretch out his arms. "Been a long day?"

"You have no idea," he leaned back then onto the grass, "how stressful being Fire Lord can be. It has its luxuries, sure, but it's difficult. After I talked to Mai, I had to go to three different meetings... all four hours long. I just want to sleep now..."

"Speaking of talking," Katara said now, "how did she take it?"

Zuko looked to the side, and bit his lip. "Uh, she took it... well. She said it's okay with her."

Katara's face, which had tensed before, turned relieved. "Good," she breathed. "I was thinking she was going to say 'no'... you know, I don't really think she likes me."

Zuko propped himself up on his elbows then and blinked at the Waterbender. "O-of course, she does!" he lied, "I mean, what's not to like?"

"Aw, thank-you," she blushed a bit.

"So, did you talk to Aang and the others?" Zuko inquired then, giving her a curious look. His golden orbs were shining in the moonlight.

"Yep. Aang's perfectly fine with it, and even said we could use Appa," Katara answered simply. Zuko nodded at her and then proceeded to lay down again, putting his arms behind his head and breathing in deeply. Katara decided to follow his actions, but instead laid on her side and faced him.

With closed eyes, he then asked, "What did Sokka and Toph say?"

"Well, at first, he thought it was a joke. Then, he 'forbade' me because he thought he'd have to go along, too, and then he started whining about how we just got here. Then I explained the situation, and he was kind of iffy about it. He doesn't know why, but he doesn't think that this trip will be good for us. I told him he was being melodramatic, and then he gave me his "consent" for me to go. But he said if I come back with even the tiniest scratch, then he's going to go after you, friends or not."

Zuko rolled his amber eyes. "I'd like to see him try."

Katara chuckled at this, and then continued. "Toph's fine with it, too. So all we have to do now is pack up and go – that is, assuming you've cleared things up with your advisers."

Zuko shrugged, smirking to himself. "It won't kill them to not have me around..." he trailed. "They can rule over the Fire Nation for a few simple months, I mean, I've done it for year now..."

Katara laughed again, and Zuko smiled in turn at her chiming giggles. She was really something, that Katara...

The pair laid there for a good amount of time, just relaxing and enjoying the quiet and each other's presence. Eventually, the one thing that Zuko still wanted to ask Katara about floated into his mind...

Nervously swallowing, the young Fire Lord turned the girl. "Uh, um, Katara," he managed out, coughing a bit.

She turned to him. "Yes?"

"I-I was wondering, i-i-if—" Zuko stopped and breathed in deeply. He really never discussed the whole mother issue with people, but Katara understood and he knew this. But for some reason, he just couldn't get the words to leave his mouth. "I..."

"What is it, Zuko?" she sat up more, peering at him, which only made him more apprehensive about asking her.

Propping himself on his elbows again, he wiped off his sweaty palms on the grass. Why was this such a difficult thing for him to ask? He didn't understand why he couldn't ask her...

Soon, Zuko just gave up. Plopping back down on the ground, he sighed. "Actually, it's nothing. We can talk about it later..."

Katara blinked, concerned and a bit bewildered, at him. What had just happened here?

Over the next little bit, Katara noticed him getting increasingly uncomfortable. He fidgeted and shivered, and was looking off into space distractedly. In an attempt to get his mind of things, because she assumed he was stressed because of his adviser meetings, she collected a bit of water in her hands, which went unnoticed by him in his distraction, and splashed it onto his face. It wasn't a lot of water – not enough to soak him, but enough to catch his attention and make him splutter!

Launching himself up, he wiped the water off his face and glared down at the Waterbender. Normally, his blood would be boiling right then, but when he looked down and saw her sweet little smile, he just knew he couldn't get mad at her. Besides, it was all in good fun!

"Hey," he laughed softly. "What was that for?"

Standing up, she walked over to him. "You seemed distracted... I just wanted you to stop focusing on stressful things and just relax and have a little bit of fun."

"So you threw water on me?"

"Basically!"

"Well," he bent down to the pond and scooped a bit of water in his hand, "two can play that game!"

He attempted to throw the water at her, but she suspected it and caught it, sending it back into his face. He spluttered again. "Hey, that's not fair! You can Waterbend!"

"Never said it had to be fair," Katara smirked playfully at him, a ring of water floating above her fingers. "But you know," she dropped the water back into the pond, causing the Turtleducks to quack loudly at her, "it wouldn't hurt."

He smiled at her, and she said, "But we gotta have some fun – something simple and kiddish, just this once. Um... what was a game you used to play a lot as a child? One you really enjoyed?"

Zuko thought for a moment, placing his finger on his chin thoughtfully. "Hm," he thought aloud, "I really used to enjoy a simple game of tag, to tell the truth."

Katara smiled evilly at that, and leaning over and tapping him on his nose, she said, "Well, then, you're it!" And then she took off across the large, expansive garden.

"Hey!" he laughed, running after her. "Not fair!"

"Catch me if you can!" she called, sticking out her tongue childishly.

Zuko simply laughed harder. For what seemed like hours, the two played endless games of tag. He tagged her, she tagged him, and vice versa for a long while. Zuko had to admit, it was nice. He hadn't really had a childhood, to be honest, and to just genuinely have mindless fun like he was – it was one of the most enjoyable things he'd done in a while.

A good amount of time later, the Fire Lord stood beside the Turtleduck pond, hands on his knees and panting heavily. He was winded, and Katara was nowhere to be seen. When that girl got running, she was undefeatable!

Regaining his stamina, he stood up straighter, and looked around cautiously. Now where was she...? For the last little bit, she'd been using the hide-and-catch tactic on him.

"Haha, you're it now!"

Zuko turned to his side and saw her running straight ahead at him. Before he knew what was happening, she was tackling him and the end result was both of them sitting in the Turtleduck pond, all the Turtleducks quacking furiously at them for disturbing their slumber.

Both sat there, rubbing their heads and groaning. Katara thought Zuko was more solid that he had been and that he would have easily stopped her, but apparently not. And now they were both soaking wet in the middle of a pond. Great.

Looking up, Katara was presented with bright, golden irises, and she blinked at Zuko. He stared and blinked right back. It was then when both realized how close they were to each other, with Katara pretty much lying on top of Zuko.

They didn't say anything for a few seconds. Katara was the one to break the silence. "I-I'm sorry," she whispered, attempting to move herself off but slipping in the mud. She blushed furiously upon landing on his muscled chest. He groaned, and made to reach at his scar that she had hit, but could not because she was in the way. Noticing what she had done, she placed her hands where he was as though this would stop the pain, and began to apologize profusely again.

Zuko sat there as she went on, blinking awkwardly at her and blushing crazily. "It's okay, Katara, really," he mumbled. He then took Katara's hands and held them tightly to prevent her from fussing any further, and trying to stand up, he simply fell in the slippery mud like Katara. "Dammit," he muttered, "that hurt!" He rubbed his back to emphasize his pain.

He leaned forward then, and caught Katara's azure stare. Mesmerized, he brought his hand up to her cheek and wiped away a splotch of mud, but let it linger a second longer to feel her soft skin. If he was being honest right then, if it weren't for his promise to Mai, he would probably kissing Katara.

Shaking his head furiously, he was forced to put those thoughts out of his mind. He had to think of Mai, first and foremost.

"Okay, let's try this again," he took her hands again and intertwined their fingers. Nodding at Katara, both stood up slowly but steadily, and, with much difficulty, inched their way out of the mud and water. Landing out the grass with a heavy thud, Katara rolled out his arms and sighed. A few moments passed, and then both looked at each other, and within seconds, they were bursting out laughing.

"I can't believe we just got stuck in there!" Katara laughed and Zuko followed, holding a hand to his muscled stomach. The pair carried on and on and on, until they saw a light flicker on in the palace.

Freezing, the both stood up, and then they heard an elder yelling, "Shut it, ya darn kids! I'm trying to sleep here!" And then the light went out and no one was heard.

The abrupt outburst simply made them snicker more, and they had to scold each other and cover their mouths to keep quiet.

As their laughter began to die down, they noticed how utterly waterlogged they were. "Oh, here, let me," Katara said quickly upon looking at Zuko, who was especially drenched. She waved her hands, and the dirty water from their clothes filtered back in the pond with ease, leaving their clothes mud-stained, but dry as before.

Zuko smiled at her in response.

A few short moments passed, and Katara made a comment. "We should probably get inside, you know. We've got a lot of long days ahead of us and so we need all the rest we can get. Not to mention, our clothes are—"

Katara was interrupted when Zuko came up and gave her a tight embrace. He held her there, holding her flush against. Katara was taken aback from his straightforwardness, but nonetheless returned the hug. He was warm, she noted. All over, he just radiated heat, and she loved it. It was his inner fire, she knew it.

The pair hugged for a long, long time, which neither complained about. Katara didn't want to give up Zuko's warmth, and the Fire Lord himself was just happy to be holding the Waterbender. Katara had closed her eyes at this point, and so had Zuko. They were in pure bliss.

They were broken out of the idyllic moment, though, when a particularly large Turtleduck quacked loudly at them. They pulled back from each other with a start, staring deeply at each other and faces flushing.

Zuko raised his hand and pulled her damp hair aside, never breaking his gaze once. Katara, too, lifted her hand, which gently touched at his eye scar. It became evident what was going to happen, and both willingly closed their eyes and leaned in and parted their lips, and—

"_QUAACKK!"_

The two were pulled out the moment again because of the same Turtleduck, who seemed to be throwing a fit now. Katara was then reminded of Aang in the moment and she pulled back sharply and wondered to herself what the hell she was doing.

Zuko was shocked by the sudden end of the hug, but when he noticed her embarrassment, he took his cue and looked to the ground. "T-thank you, Katara, for that. For allowing me to have fun like that. I haven't played that game in a while, and I just... just thank you."

Katara nodded at him, and fidgeted with her fingers. "Yo-you're welcome," she whispered. "I had fun tonight, too, Zuko."

Turning around, she looked at the entrance to the palace. "I-I should probably get going..." she pointed towards it. "Like I said, dirty clothes and the fact that we need energy. So, uh, yeah." Turning around, she hugged herself and rubbed her hands up and down her arms. She already missed Zuko's warmth. "Good night, Zuko."

"'Night, Katara," he waved at her. They smiled at each other, before she walked off. Zuko watched as the Waterbender left and when he was certain she was gone, he sighed heavily and slumped his shoulders. He was so close then to experiencing the kiss of his life but _also_ breaking his promise to Mai. He was such an idiot sometimes!

Shaking his head and mumbling incoherencies to himself, he wandered back into the palace. Before he went in, he looked back to the pond and said simply, "I'm glad no one saw that. All hell would break loose if someone did..." And then he entered the doorway and disappeared.

Little did Zuko know, though, he and Katara had been being watched, and very intently so by someone, and that was why the Turtleduck was making such a racket.

~P~

**Author's Notes: **So little Zutara in these first few chapters, but in this one, a frig ton of Maiko and Kataang. Not that I mind. I know, I know, though, this is a Zutara... it will come, I promise. Like, the hard-core lovey-dovey schtuff. I just wanted to establish their relationships with their current boos first – Zuko likes Mai a lot, but is not in love with her, while still trying to decide about his feelings for Katara and Katara loves Aang, but also feels a litle somethin' somethin' for Zuko, too, she just doesn't know it yet! The whole point of this story is for their love to grow progressively, like in real life, instead of one of those fics where it's like "ZOMFGZ I LUFF U AT FURST SITE!". So, that's why there's has been a serious lack of Zutara in these first few chapters.

Bye now!


	4. A Wise Talk

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Avatar.

~P~

_Chapter 4 – A Wise Talk_

~P~

The next morning, they all gathered together for breakfast. The entire time, Mai was extra affectionate, almost inappropriately so, to Zuko, who was embarrassed by her. Katara watched them, feeling her heart clench as Mai ran her hand up and down Zuko's strong forearm.

She was being awfully clingy, Katara noticed. Not only was Katara feeling a bit jealous (to which she couldn't really explain), but uncomfortable and annoyed, too. What Mai was doing was completely unnecessary!

At first, she tried to ignore it, because at first, it wasn't that bad. It was the same kind of love she gave Aang on a daily basis.

Next, she turned to Zuko. He gave her an innocent shrug and inched away from his girlfriend, who had been trying to kiss his neck – he didn't understand her odd behaviour, either. Pulling back at Zuko's rejection of her, Mai looked across the table to see him looking at Katara.

He was smiling admiringly at her, trying to conceal his very blatant staring at her. Overcome by a sudden envious stab, she leaned forward and full-fledged kissed Zuko, surprising him thoroughly. Katara's head turned quicker than the others, and upon seeing what she did, her annoyance of the situation got the better of her.

"Ugh!" she shot up from the table, throwing her hands up and marching out of the room. She saw Mai smirk against Zuko's – who was extremely flustered – lips. "When you two decide to be a little more decent when it comes to a meal, I'll be back in for breakfast!" And with all that said and done, she stormed down the hallway and outside to the large main garden. She slowed down when she knew she got a good distance away from them all, and she sat down at the pond.

She breathed deeply, clenching her fists as her anger and jealousy from her sudden outburst still coursed through her. The worst part was, she knew she shouldn't be jealous. She was with Aang and she loved him, but she could no longer ignore the fact that she liked Zuko. They had almost kissed late the night before, but she hadn't allowed it, and a part of her regretted it, but another part, the more reasonable of the two, knew better.

Slowly, she calmed down a bit, but she still wasn't about to go back inside. She walked over to the Turtleduck pond slowly, but stopped when she saw a stout older man standing there. She recognized him. It was Zuko's Uncle Iroh!

She approached him, and he turned around. "Oh, hello!" he said to her brightly. Noticing how angry she was, he commented on it. "You seem quite incensed."

She wanted to question him as to where he had been the last few days, but didn't do so. Instead she sat down and hugged her knees to her chest. "Yes." He sat down beside her and smiled understandingly. She sighed, knowing he wanted to hear what about, and she gladly vented to him. "Zuko's girlfriend is – horrible."

"Lady Mai?" Katara nodded. "I will agree," Iroh nodded, as well. "I'm not a fan of her, and she doesn't make Zuko as happy as she used to."

Katara smiled at that, and the pair sat in silence. Eventually, Iroh stood up and looked down at her. "I'm going to make my morning tea. Would you like some?"

"No, thank you," she shook her head.

Iroh nodded at her again and left her sitting there. Even though they had barely said anything to each other, Katara felt better about facing Zuko later on the subject.

~P~

Back in the dining hall, Zuko pushed Mai off of him in disgust. When she gave him a glower, he gave it right back. "What the hell was that?" he spat her. Mai simply crossed her arms defiantly and looked away. Sokka and Aang sat there awkwardly, while Toph exited the room, unnoticed.

When she didn't answer, he rolled his eyes at her childish behaviour and stood up.

Aang stood up, as well. "I should probably go talk to Kat—"

"Sit down, Aang. I'll talk to her," Zuko commanded him, and the Avatar gave him a look.

"Zuko, I think—"

"I _said_ sit down! You are my guest, and so I will deal with this situation-" He shot Mai a dirty look, "-on my own!"

Aang's eyes flickered, but he sat down as he was told. "Fine."

At that, Zuko walked out of the room in the direction that Katara had stalked off to. As he went down the corridor, his mind was chaotic with unexpressed anger towards Mai. He was thoroughly unimpressed with her actions – she had told him that she was okay with him going to the North Pole with and being around Katara, so what the hell was that? He'd have to give her a piece of his mind later - no games this time around! As he walked outside, he saw Katara sitting beside the pond, and he made his way to her.

~P~

Katara heard footsteps that became increasingly louder from behind her, and she sighed. She wasn't really in the mood for one of Aang's goody-goody lectures.

"Go away, Aang," she grumbled, glaring at the water on the Turtleduck pond's surface, causing it to ripple out of her irritation. "I'm not in the mood. Just let me be angry for once."

"It's not Aang."

She turned upon hearing Zuko's voice and she crossed her arms at him, her expression remaining unchanged. "You? What do _you _want?"

"To talk about it," he said simply, inviting himself to sit down beside her. He tried to make eye contact with her, but she refused it.

"There's nothing to talk about, Zuko." She glared at the ground.

There was a short silence between them before Zuko spoke up. "I'm sorry for Mai's actions. I don't know what came over her." He paused, and Katara noticed the tone of his voice change, darken. "I'm not happy with it, either. It was unacceptable."

The pair sat in silence then, Zuko staring at the pond grumpily and Katara moodily glaring at the ground beside her. Despite herself, Katara turned to see Zuko's expression. His face matched his voice – he was glowering intensely at the pond.

Sighing, she grumbled out whisperingly, "I... don't like her. At all. I'm sorry, Zuko, but I, personally, do not understand how you can stand her." She didn't want to offend him – she was just stating her point. She couldn't hide how she felt about his horrid girlfriend – how fervently she disliked her and how Katara could think of about a million reasons why Zuko _shouldn't _be dating her.

"I lied yesterday," he said suddenly, and she blinked at him. "I told you that she was okay with you... she's not. She doesn't like you, either. Actually, she's jealous of you." He turned to her, and she blinked at him again, this time in surprise. _Mai _was jealous of _her_? He pointed between himself and her. "She thinks that we have something secretly going on between us, and refuses to let it go!" He pounded his hand on the ground out of his apparent annoyance of her. "We talked it out and everything yesterday... and then she went and pulled _this _this morning... I don't understand her anymore! I mean, there's nothing going on between us..." he trailed, and he looked over at Katara with wide eyes, as if this would reassure him that he should still be with Mai.

Katara's face flushed because of his intent gaze at her. "E-exactly," she whispered. "We're just friends."

Zuko nodded then, and she noticed – albeit reluctantly – how his face fell just slightly. Looking out at the pond again, his eyes cast downwards, he said, "I know..." He then added on, "but she doesn't..."

The two sat there awkwardly for a few moments before Katara broke it. "Are you going to talk to her about it later?"

"Of course, I am," Zuko told her.

Katara couldn't believe what she was saying next. "Don't... don't yell at her. I want you to smooth things over with her, Zuko – I don't want us going to the North Pole her while you two are in the middle of a rift." Zuko gave her a look and opened his mouth to speak, but she intervened before he could. "Please, Zuko, promise me. You'll be decent to her and mend things."

Zuko gave her a hard stare, but he eventually gave in and nodded in defeat. "Fine. But don't expect her to act any differently afterwards – she doesn't like you, and once Mai sets her mind on either liking or disliking something or someone, she does everything in her power to let you _know _that."

Katara shook her head. "That's fine. I'll act civilly to her as long as she does to me. Just as long as we leave with you two on good terms."

Zuko simply sighed at this, and Katara swallowed. She felt like she was forcing his relationship with Mai on him – she didn't want to be the reason they broke up, but at the same time, it wasn't her decision if Zuko no longer wanted to be with her, and besides, she detested the woman, anyways - and that she was drilling into her mind that they were _just friends_. Like she was trying to convince herself differently of her new feelings for the Fire Lord.

The scene went quiet again, but this time they welcomed it. They embraced the silence happily, and they just sat there, enjoying the other's presence. Then something occurred to the Waterbender, and she turned to her companion.

"Hey, Zuko," she began, waiting for him to respond. He turned to her and nodded in acknowledgement. "Um, I know this is kind of out of the blue, but... why didn't you inform your Uncle about going to the North Pole? I know he's like a father to you, so I kind of suspected that he would have been the first person you would have gone to for approval."

Zuko answered simply. "He's in Ba Sing Se. He's been there for the past few weeks, aiding in the repairs in the walls along with the other White Lotus members. I thought about sending a messenger hawk to him, but I figured that by the time it got to him and he delivered it back with a response, we would be long gone. So I decided there was no point. I'll just ask Mai or someone to send him a messenger hawk telling him where I am after we're gone."

Katara's expression turned confused. "But," she pointed in the direction she had seen Iroh go. "I just saw him, like, ten minutes ago. He was sitting out here."

Zuko's eyes lit up childishly, and she had to suppress a smile. "Really? He's here?" he asked excitedly, standing up suddenly. Katara nodded, allowing herself a smile now. Taking Katara's hand in his, he pulled her up, and they took off across the lawn.

"Zuko! Slow down! Why do you even want me there with you?" she laughed.

"Well, we are going on the trip _together_," he commented quickly. He stopped momentarily in a random hallway, and looked around before starting off again. "And besides, he trusts you. He doesn't trust a lot of people. Despite how friendly he looks outwardly, he's actually very protective and distrustful... he has been ever since the death of my cousin." Zuko slowed down slightly at that, but before Katara could even give him a sympathetic look, he had shaken off the sad feeling and taken off in the direction of Iroh's room again.

When they arrived there, Zuko stopped at the doors but did not open them.

Katara gave him a concerned look. "Why aren't you opening them?" she questioned.

"I... I don't know," he admitted. "I'm scared, I guess. I don't know why."

Katara smiled at him before taking his hand in hers and intertwining their fingers tightly, squeezing it. The action both unnerved Zuko and filled him with a certain confidence.

"Why don't you go in there and show him how much you missed him, Zuko?" Katara told him quietly.

Smiling at her, the Fire Lord squeezed her hand back before releasing it and placing his hands on the door handles. Inhaling deeply, he reefed them open, surprising the old man inside and almost causing him to drop his tea.

Zuko stepped forward, a painfully innocent look on his scarred face. "Uncle?"

Iroh turned around at the sound of his nephew's voice, and he smiled brightly to himself. Sipping at his tea quickly, he placed it down and turned around to greet his nephew with extended arms.

"Zuko!" he called, and at that, Zuko took his cue and ran forward to his uncle. The elder and his nephew embraced with such happiness, and Katara observed the scene from behind the door. She had never seen Zuko like this before – to see the usually stoic Fire Lord rendered to show only the rawest form of love and respect! It was, dare she say it, incredible. Zuko was a complex human being emotionally, she knew this, and she was glad to be a part of his life.

After seemingly an eternity passed, the two men retreated from the hug and Zuko looked down at his uncle. "I'm so glad to see you." His gaze held such emotion it was difficult for the young man _not _to simply beam.

"Same to you, Zuko." The older man smiled brightly at his nephew before noticing some movement behind the large double doors. "Zuko, you were raised better than to ignore your guests! Invite your lady friend in, will you."

Zuko blushed at his forgetting about Katara, and he turned to her. "O-oh, I'm sorry, Katara," he walked back to the door and took her hand gently, pulling her into the room and closing the door behind her. Iroh, in the meantime, had poured two cups of teas for the youngsters.

Katara shook her head at Zuko, smiling at him. His blush intensified with her look at him, and he rubbed the back of his head with the hand that wasn't still holding hers.

Iroh watched the exchange amusedly before placing down the steaming tea cups on the little table before him. "Sit," he motioned to the small pillows in front of him.

Obeying, the pair sat down beside each other. A short moment passed when nothing was said, but Iroh spoke up, much to Zuko's embarrassment, and said, "You know, Zuko, I don't think Princess Katara's going to be able to drink her tea what with you holding on to her hand like that."

Zuko's jaw dropped ever-so-slightly at his Uncle's pointing it out, and upon noticing his hand was still latched to hers – not that she minded – Katara blushed. Letting go of it, he looked to the side to avoid eye contact with either of them.

Katara smiled sheepishly at him before picking up her tea and sipping at it, and out of his peripheral vision, he caught the gesture, returning it with a slight one of his one.

Iroh simply smirked to himself. He took a drink of his tea before turning to Zuko. "Now, you probably want to talk to me about the North Pole trip you are taking with Princess Katara, don't you?" The Fire Lord blinked at his uncle, wondering how he knew. "I heard about it from some guards," Iroh explained, and Zuko rolled his eyes. Mai was right – things did travel around the palace.

"Yes," Zuko nodded. Looking at and motioning to Katara, who was still sipping at her tea, he continued, "Katara and I are going to go to the North Pole so that she can heal my scars." Iroh's eyes widened noticeably at this notion. "I just wanted to know... would you be okay with it?"

Iroh blinked at Zuko before taking another drink of his tea. Zuko patiently awaited his uncle's opinion. "Personally," Iroh began, closing his eyes thoughtfully, "I think that this will be a trip of epic proportions for you both – it will be both a great, thrilling experience and a heart-shattering tragedy – I can feel it in my old bones. But despite this, I think that it a journey both of you desperately need. You will learn a great amount about yourselves and each other – so, yes, I give you my approval, my nephew."

Zuko blinked at his uncle and then at Katara, who did so right back at him. Katara spoke up out of concern. "Um, what do you mean by 'heart-shattering tragedy'?"

"I do not know," Iroh admitted cryptically. "But I can feel it. Something significant is going to happen between you two. Something indescribably powerful and intensely beautiful."

Both Katara and Zuko blushed at each other. What did the old man mean?

However, Iroh did not give the young pair a chance to dwell on the secret meaning of his words. "So, who wants to hear about the progress at Ba Sing Se?" the old Firebending general changed the subject suddenly. He was trying his best not to laugh at the others' expressions.

Zuko, who desperately wanted to diverge from any subject that would bring further embarrassment upon himself, nodded eagerly. "Sure, Uncle."

For the rest of the morning, the three shared stories about Ba Sing Se and other things that occurred on their previous adventures. They laughed and joked and cared not at all about anything else for that short amount of time.

When they were done their third pot of tea, Katara decided that she should go check up on Aang, because Zuko had brought up that he had wanted to see her.

"Would you like another cup of tea, Princess?" asked Iroh, holding up the teapot happily.

Katara shook her head politely. "No, thank you. I think I'm going to check on Aang – you," she turned to Zuko, "said that he wanted to talk to me."

Zuko, who had been having a great time up until then, grew sombre at the mention of Katara's boyfriend. "Oh, uh, yes," he coughed, "you should go see him." Iroh noticed the disappointment in his nephew's face.

Smiling at him, she leaned over and hugged him. "Thank you for your concern earlier, Zuko," she whispered, pulling back and placing a light kiss on both of his cheeks, causing the Fire Lord's entire face to go pink.

"Anytime," he told her, and he watched as she got up and left the room. If Katara was being truthful with herself, she didn't want to leave. She didn't want to go see Aang quite yet. She just wanted to be with Zuko. But ignoring these inner emotional requests, she opened the door, and with one last fleeting look at her good friend and an honouring bow to Iroh, did she leave the room reluctantly.

Iroh watched as Zuko's shoulders slumped and he sighed, love struck. He was smiling dreamily in the direction of the door and he had a glazed over look in his eyes. Iroh chuckled at his dumb expression, and leaned over.

"She's quite the specimen, Zuko. Feisty and fiery, just like yourself, but at the same time, gentle and sensitive. You two are so alike! I can't blame you for being in love with her. Not to mention, she's the Princess of the Southern Water Tribe! Good catch, if I do say so myself!"

Zuko flew around to stare at his Uncle, eyes wide. "W-what are you talking about? She's with Aang and I'm with—"

"I'll be honest; I like her much better than Mai. And you," he pointed down at the flustered young Firebender, "do, too." Zuko tried to splutter out another lie about denying his feelings, but his Uncle would not have it. "And don't try to deny it, Zuko! I see the way you look at each other, how you two interact – you love her." Iroh stated like it was the simplest thing in the world.

"U-uncle, I-I—" Zuko tried to form words, but he found he could not.

"However," Iroh became stern now, and he gave the Fire Lord a dark look. "I will advise you not to go too far with Princess Katara – like last night, as an example – until you officially end things with Mai, or else, Zuko, there will be repercussions for your actions."

Zuko glared at his Uncle then, suddenly threatened at the mention of the night before. "How do you know about what happened last night with Katara?" the Fire Lord inquired fiercely.

Iroh shrugged. "I got back to the palace from Ba Sing Se late, late last night. That's why I hadn't seen you until just a few hours ago. I went out on the patio of my room for some late-night tea, and what am I presented with? I see my nephew holding the Waterbender as though they you were lovers!" Zuko's eyes were burning out of guilt, but Iroh figured it was more so out of being caught than what he had committed against Mai. "If it weren't for that one peculiarly large Turtleduck, you and Princess Katara would be stealing kisses behind your significant others' backs as we speak!"

Zuko blinked at the floor, face in his hands, trying to comprehend all of the information he had just had thrown at him. Peering up at his uncle with scared eyes, he asked, "Please, don't tell anyone, Uncle."

"I will not, Zuko, but I want you to know that I just want what's best for your happiness," Iroh walked around the table and placed his hands on Zuko's shoulders. "And I truly think Katara is the person who will make you the happiest."

Zuko took a few minutes to process his thoughts again, sighing. Looking up at his Uncle, he did the best he could to muster a weak smile. "Thank you, Uncle." At that, he stood up. "I should probably get going – I have to start packing for the trip."

Iroh nodded at him and smiled, but he kept the concerned look in his eyes. As Zuko approached the door, he said one last thing.

"Just end things with one before starting something with another."

Zuko nodded his head in acknowledgement, bowed to Iroh, and walked out of the room. After he got back to his own corridors, he landed on his bed and sighed heavily. He couldn't believe that he was almost caught! He had suspected that they were being watched that night - what if it had been Mai? If it had been Mai, Zuko would be in a world of hurt... but at the same time, if it meant that he could hold Katara that close in his arms again, he would gladly take the lashing his psychotic girlfriend would give him.

~P~

**Author's Notes: **They'll finally be leaving in the next chapter!


	5. Departure

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Avatar.

~P~

_Chapter 5 – Departure_

~P~

That next morning, Katara and Zuko stood out on the patio in which the Gaang had arrived, the others surrounding them. They were completely prepared and so was Appa, who was sitting there patiently while eating some hay.

Katara was preoccupied with saying her goodbyes to her friends, and so Zuko spoke to his Uncle. "Uncle Iroh," he walked up to him and gave him a firm hug before releasing him. "I'll miss you. I wish we had more time," he told the older man genuinely, who gave him a sad look.

"We both know you need to take this trip," Iroh said, smiling. Zuko nodded before bowing respectfully to the ex-general. Giving him one last look and turning around, the Fire Lord was stopped by a hand on his shoulder. "Do take what I said about Katara into consideration, Zuko. Your happiness matters, despite what you think."

Zuko exhaled heavily and answered, annoyed that the topic was being brought up again, with, "I will, Uncle. Goodbye." As he turned again, he caught Iroh's concerned glance before looking away and heading to Appa.

He waited patiently for Katara, who had just finished hugging her brother and was now talking to Aang. He noticed the sorrowful glint in the Avatar's eyes, and for a split second, felt bad about taking Katara away from him, but his heart was quickly filled with pitiful jealousy upon seeing Katara kiss him.

"I'm going to miss you, Aang," she whispered to him, embracing him.

Aang mumbled against her shoulder, "Same, Katara. It's going to be hard, but I'll think about your return every day – I'll be anticipating it with open arms!" At that, he pulled back slightly and blushed. "Just remember that I love you, Katara."

Katara blushed, but not just out of Aang's very apparent adoring of her, but how public he made it. She noticed for the first time how uncomfortable she was about being even the least bit affectionate with Aang in the company of others. All in all, she was embarrassed, but knowing this would be the last time she'd see him in a while, she ignored the feeling and whispered it back. "I love you, too, Aang." At that, he pressed a gentle kiss to her lips, and she smiled at him before turning away and heading towards Zuko and Appa. The Fire Lord held back an envious scoff for the couple's sake.

"How long do you guys think this trip will take?" Aang asked them.

Zuko looked at Katara and then back at Aang, shrugging. "We figure two months, minimum, four months, maximum." Aang nodded.

"Take good care of Appa," he walked up to the flying bison and petted him on the nose. Appa, who had finished his hay, licked the Avatar affectionately and he laughed. Katara smiled at the interaction.

"We will, Aang. I promise."

At that, Zuko jumped up onto Appa's saddle, and took hold of Katara's hands next and pulled her up with him. The pair sat there, smiling down at their family and friends sadly.

Aang noted – with a twinge of something in his stomach – that even though Katara and Zuko were both sitting up on the saddle comfortably, that they were still holding hands with each other. He ignored it, though – he trusted and loved Katara more than anything.

With their final goodbyes said, Zuko climbed onto Appa's head and took hold of his reins. Katara climbed up to the front of the saddle, and peering around the patio, she noted – albeit reluctantly – that the Fire Lord's girlfriend was not present. "Zuko," she placed a hand on his shoulder. "Where's Mai? I thought you said you were going to talk to her."

He turned to her slightly and frowned. "Not now, Katara. I'll explain it later."

Katara wanted to protest, but at the same time, she didn't want to upset Zuko and start the journey off on the wrong foot. So sighing and crossing her arms, Katara huffed in response and turned away from him. "Fine."

As Zuko tossed Appa's reins up and down and said "Yip, yip!", Aang blew a kiss to Katara, lifting her moods slightly. But before the Waterbender could respond, Appa zipped off, and she had to settle with a simple wave at everyone below her. Though she was glad to be taking this journey, she felt her heart drop just a little at leaving behind the people she loved. But when she looked over at Zuko and he smiled at her, she suddenly felt better and it renewed her confidence in the situation.

~P~

After a good amount of time had passed – at least Katara thought so, as it had been approximately two hours since they had left the capital – the Waterbender decided to bring up the subject of Mai again.

"So... ready to talk about your girlfriend?" she prodded, leaning across the barriers of the saddle.

"Barely," he responded grimly.

Katara grumbled at him. "Did you even talk to her, Zuko?"

"I tried to, but quite frankly, she wouldn't have it," he explained, sighing heavily. "I went to her room last night to talk to her about it, but she freaked out at me. She's been doing that a lot lately – and before you blame yourself, it's not just because you're here. She just... genuinely seems extra unhappy about everything lately..."

"So... she still thinks we're going to run away on some romantic escapade, doesn't she?" He nodded. Biting her lip, Katara whispered her next words. "Zuko, I don't want to go on this trip right now if it means we come back and you guys are on even worse terms. I don't want to be the reason that the Fire Lord and his future wife split up!"

Zuko turned around sharply then, his eyes glowering. "What makes you think I would ever want to marry Mai? She's barely suitable to be Fire Lady!" he growled, crawling back into the saddle with her, knowing perfectly well that Appa could direct himself.

"Well, why are you even with her, then? What's the point of being with a person that makes you miserable?" She was not angry at him because of his outburst – instead, she took his hands and held them, rubbing her thumb over their tops soothingly. She calmly awaited his answer. He looked up to her eyes then, and he noticed that while they were glowing with gentleness, that they lacked the understanding he needed.

Pulling away suddenly, he said venomously, "Yeah, well, not all of us can have the picture-perfect romance with the Avatar." He turned his back to her, and Katara blinked at him, her eyes wide.

She sat there for few seconds before grabbing his shoulder and reefing him back to look at her. "You think that I have the perfect relationship with Aang? Well, despite what you think – I don't! We've had our fair share of trials in the past – mostly caused by _you_, Zuko! You have your problems with Mai, and I have mine with Aang – oh, you want an example, I bet, don't you? He's embarrassing as hell! He's thirteen – he's not ready to be in a serious relationship, yet he insists! Half the time, I feel like I'm his mother, not his girlfriend! There's an example, Zuko! It's not all peaches and sunshine with Aang and I, so don't bring him into this unless you have your facts straight!" Katara was huffing by the end of her own outburst, and the Fire Lord simply stared at her. Then, all of a sudden, Katara's expression became despaired. "And not to mention, it's kind of difficult to be in a relationship with one boy and then liking—" Looking at over at Zuko, her eyes widened, and she shook her head. "W-whatever." Just as quickly as she seemed frazzled, did she go back to angry. "You know what, I-I—ugh! I don't even want to talk to you now!"

Zuko recovered from her lecture and glared at her. "Fine! I don't want to talk to you, either!" He made his way back to Appa's head, and he placed himself there with a huff.

Katara, wanting to get the last word, crossed her arms and turned away. "Fine!"

Zuko clenched his teeth. "Fine!" The flying bison sighed heavily at their actions. Appa didn't know if he was going to be able to deal with these two if this was how they were acting so soon in their journey!

This went on for a short while until they both just shut up. Shoulders slumping, both looked back at each other, and to their embarrassments, caught each other's eyes, causing both of them to blush and turn back to their respective directions.

Yes, this was going to be a very long day of travelling, indeed.

~P~

After another eight hours of riding on Appa, the flying bison began to tire out, and so they all landed for the night. As they laid out their separate sleeping bags and set up a quick, makeshift camp, the two friends didn't speak at all.

Katara made some soup for dinner that night, and they sat their together on a long slab of rock, on opposite ends, eating the food slowly. Turning her head, she noticed how grumpy, but also sad, Zuko looked, and she sighed, set her bowl down, and scooted closer to him.

Zuko's eyes travelled to his right side, and he looked at her. "What?" he grumbled, he, too, placing his bowl down.

"Look, Zuko," she brushed a piece of her hair behind her ear. "We can't start off like this. If we do, the rest of this journey will end up being hell, and I don't know about you, but I want this to be a positive experience. I want to use this as a chance to learn more about you and for you to do the same with me." Taking his hand, she continued. "Please. Let's just apologize and go on with our lives."

Zuko looked off into the distance and was just generally being stubborn. When she squeezed his hand and he diverted his gaze back to hers, he saw the pleading look in it. In all truth, he didn't want to start off this trip on the wrong foot, either. But Zuko had pride and he didn't like having it shattered. But he knew right then, if he was going to get along with her, he'd needed to do his part and apologize. Turning her way and placing his own larger hand on top of hers, he began, "I realize that you and Aang have been through a lot – I was just being selfish. You went through all hell when we were back in Ba Sing Se and Azula struck him down – and you're right, that was all my fault. I'm truly sorry for what I've put you through in the past, and for a few hours ago," he sighed, eyes boring into the ground. Katara was the only person he would willingly show this amount of emotion to.

"I'm sorry, too. It's not my place to be digging at your and Mai's relationship – it's just... I want you to be happy, and before I came, you and her seemed perfectly fine," Katara admitted.

Zuko shook his head. "We were having problems long before you came along."

"Either way, I'm sorry." A few moments of silence passed, and Katara's face brightened. "Here's a compromise," she gave him a small smile. "How about neither of us speaks about our own partners and we don't bring up each other's? Sound good?"

Zuko contemplated her suggestion. It meant he didn't have to get lectured about Mai anymore, and he wouldn't have to listen to about how much she missed Aang – he had nothing to lose in agreeing with it. Smiling and shrugging, he nodded his head. "Sure."

"Good." Her face lit up then, and she picked up her and his bowls. "Now, what do you say – should we get this all cleaned up and head to bed? We're going to have a long day tomorrow."

Zuko sighed ruggedly. "And the day after that, _and the day after that_..."

Katara laughed and relaxed a bit. "Hey, we don't have to go to sleep immediately. We can... stay up and, I don't know, talk?" She gave him a sheepish smile then.

"I'd like that," he told her softly, collecting together the other few dishes they had brought out.

It took about a half an hour, but they quickly had everything cleaned up and put away, and Appa was sleeping soundly behind their sleeping bags. They talked and laughed the entire time, and both were once again at ease with each other.

After getting cleaned up himself, Zuko made his way to his sleeping bag and slipped into it. He noticed that Katara was already in hers, hands resting on her stomach as she peered up at the dark night sky. It was illuminated by many glowing stars and she was fascinated by them all.

"They're beautiful," she commented to him as he put his arms behind his head and joined her in her star-gazing.

Upon actually taking a moment to notice the stars, Zuko was astounded. The sky was just so _vast_ and it was unbelievable to him. "W-wow," he managed out.

Katara turned her head and smiled at him. Sitting up a bit and moving her sleeping bag and herself closer to him, she laid back down and took her hand and pointed up to a formation of stars. She began to point out different constellations, and he looked up at her and smiled.

"You see," she pointed to a particularly large collection. "That's Ornithursa Major."

Zuko blinked confusedly. "There?" he pointed to a place that was completely wrong.

Giggling, she took his raised hand and redirected it to where the constellation actually was. "Oh."

"It's gorgeous, isn't it?" She dropped her hand, but like she had gotten into the habit of doing, she didn't release it.

"Yes." He was looking at her as he said this.

Katara didn't notice, though, and she continued to talk about constellations. "My mother used to tell me about them – all of them. She told me that they were just as important to the Waterbending Tribes as the Moon herself. 'Stars are the moon's companion'... she would tell me." Though Katara spoke fondly of these memories, she couldn't help but feel a stab of sadness at her heart. Though she was beginning to come to terms with her mother's death, it was still painful for her to even think about. Quietly, she continued with, "...I miss her so much."

Zuko's eyes diverged from the stars and to his companion and he noticed the visible tears pricking in her eyes. Feeling the need to instantly make her feel better; he pulled her close to him and embraced her. Katara wanted to stay strong in front of Zuko, but she just couldn't – and the only other person besides Sokka who understood what it was like was the Fire Lord, anyway. And besides, he had already seen her cry before – when they had gone after Yon Rha.

Letting her tears fall, she turned into his chest, seeking his comforting warmth. Petting her hair down, Zuko just held her there, knowing that she needed to vent. "I miss mine, too," Zuko whispered after a bit, after Katara had calmed down.

Looking up at him with her red, puffy eyes, Katara gave him a curious look. "If... if you don't mind my asking... did you end up getting any information out of your father about her?"

Zuko shook his head sadly. "No."

"Oh, Zuko," she wrapped her arms around him now, hugging him slightly, sensing that he himself needed one, as well. Zuko closed his eyes then and swallowed before continuing. "B-but I think she's still... alive. I can feel it – she's still around. I just don't know where..." Pausing, he realized that this was a good time to ask about his mother. It was now or never. "Um, Katara," he looked down at her, and she gave him a sad smile of acknowledgement. "I was actually wondering... I don't know if I'd be going too far asking you this, if I'd be requesting too much... but I thought about it that night we made the plans – could... could we possibly search for my mother?"

Not wanting to see her reaction quite yet, he continued on with his eyes closed. "You see, I figure, because we're going to be crossing over a good amount of Earth Kingdom land and Fire Nation territory, that maybe, when we make stops for supplies, we could ask around for clues of some kind or search a bit... we don't have to do it if you don't want to. I mean, it's all up to you really, I just—"

"Zuko, calm down!" Katara stopped him, and he looked down at her. She had stopped crying completely now, and she had a genuine smile on her face. "Zuko, I'd... I'd be honoured to look for your mother with you. It's the least I can do since you helped me with the... the Southern Raiders." He felt her shutter in his arms at the remembrance of the confrontation. "Yes. I will, Zuko."

Zuko felt his heart soar then and his mind flood with indescribable elatedness. Katara was just too amazing for words – he couldn't describe how he felt about her. He captured her in a powerful hug and didn't let go as he mumbled thank-yous in her ear over and over again. Katara was at first surprised by this sudden action, but she quickly became comfortable in his arms again and leaned into him, her face flushing.

Eventually, Katara turned over in his arms so she was looking at him. She pressed her ear to his chest and heard his rapid heartbeat, and she smiled. "It would be my pleasure."

As the pair sat there, it occurred to Zuko how much he just wanted to kiss her. Mai wasn't really of his concern anymore – he cared for her, but she was too much trouble for him. Katara, however – he loved everything about her. Her fiery personality, her opinionated outlooks, everything...! But was he really willing to hurt his friendship with Aang for Katara? He didn't quite know the answer to that question yet.

Looking down at her, he placed his fingers on her chin and brought up face to look up at him. He could see it in her eyes – the reciprocity, it was there. Her blue orbs stared at him, eyelids lowered slightly. One peck couldn't hurt...

Taking this as his cue, Zuko smiled at her before leaning down and pressing his lips to hers gently.

Zuko waited for her to respond, and much to his happiness, she did. As she put pressure back on his lips, he felt sensations – like fireworks – run through body. The way she made him feel was incredible.

It was a simple kiss, nothing more, nothing less. Even though, it instilled the two teenagers with such welcome numbness and exploding passion that neither of them quite knew what was going on. Pulling back after a few minutes, the pair just stared at each other, blissful, glazed over looks adorning their faces. Nothing could go wrong right then – all was perfect for them.

At this point, Katara yawned. It was the perfect end to the end of the day – to spend it with someone she felt so strongly about. She was so glad to be able to feel his warmth all around her once again.

Like a chain reaction, Zuko yawned, as well, and both looked at each other knowingly, smiling. Laying back down and settling into their sleeping bags, they stayed together, with Zuko's arms around Katara and her holding herself against him.

With closed eyes, Katara whispered close to Zuko's lips, "Goodnight." The act made him shiver delightfully and he pressed another light kiss to her lips in response. Katara smiled against his own, before pulling away and dozing off soundly.

Zuko looked up to the sky and prayed inwardly to Yue and La that no one would ever take Katara away from him, before drifting off into his own deep sleep, Appa snoring away behind him the entire time...

~P~

**Author's Notes: **Ornithursa Major is my attempt to make an Avatar-world constellation. It joins the Latin prefix of the Platypus family and Latin word for bears (like, as in a Platypus Bear), and then I applied it to an actual constellation!

And yay, they finally started on their journey! It's gonna be a good amount of time before they make it to the North Pole, though. Not like, forever, but they're not going to be there in, like, two chapters. They gotta do some searchin' for his mother first, anyhow.

And lastly – finally, some old-fashioned Zutara!

Bye now!


	6. Mistake

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Avatar.

~P~

_Chapter 6 – Mistake_

~P~

That morning was filled with innocent kisses, sheepish blushes, and intense gazes. But after a few hours of flying with little interaction, when Zuko went back to the saddle with Katara, was he rejected. He had leaned over to plant the simplest of kisses upon her cheek, but she pushed him away and turned away from him.

Zuko blinked at the Waterbender while she looked away, embarrassed and ashamed. Deciding to press on the topic sensitively, he kept his distance instead of sidling up to her. "Katara, wh-what's wrong?" Zuko mentally cursed himself at his trembling voice – he'd didn't want to get overly emotional about the situation, but a part of him knew what was happening, and that part was already eating away at him.

Biting her lip, she turned back to him, but still did not make eye contact. "Zuko," she began quietly, carefully. "I've been thinking..." His breath hitched in his throat as he waited for her to continue. "Now that I've had a few hours to think it over in peace – without any distractions to cloud my judgement – I... I really don't think what happened last night would be a good thing to continue on with." As soon as those words left her mouth, Zuko felt his heart drop and his stomach flop violently in him.

"W-what I mean is," she turned to look at him now. "And I know I promised not to mention them – but Aang and Mai. We have other people to think about in our lives, Zuko –"

As he suspected of himself, the Fire Lord was not taking the situation well. Feeling his temper flare, and snarled at her, "If you haven't picked it up by now, Katara, I plan on breaking up with Mai when we return. I don't love her – besides, I need to focus on my country first. But—"

"No, Zuko, let me talk," Katara told him sternly, interrupting him and forcing him to listen to her reasoning. "It's not that I don't like you... I do." She took his hands in her, as if to reinforce her point. "But I think it was the heat of the moment – we couldn't ignore it, and so we went for it. It was irresponsible—" _But felt so right! _Katara's mind screamed at her, but she ignored it and continued on. "—um, of us. It was a... _mistake_. I like you as a friend, a good friend, Zuko, and I'd like for us to still be that, at the very least. And what you do with Mai – it is not my business. I won't butt in anymore."

Zuko realized then that he wasn't going to get anywhere at this point with her – she had her mind set, and it was on Aang. The Fire Lord felt such a fierce jealousy attack then that its intensity was akin to that of his hatred of the Avatar when he'd first started trying to capture him. Piteously, he felt the need to act as indifferent as Katara was – he wasn't going to let her win this war of emotions! So, he lied. "I agree," he fibbed through his teeth. "I mean, it was clearly a moment of weakness on my part, too." He noticed the wave of hurt that passed through her eyes, but didn't verbally acknowledge it. Truthfully, he wanted to make it go away, so that he didn't have to be the source of it – but he had to ignore his feelings for her if he was going to win this. "Like you said - a simple mistake."

Katara felt her heart prick and she nodded forcedly. "Yes." Putting a false smile on her face, she stuck out her hand stiffly. "Friends again?"

"Like always," he shook it awkwardly, also forcing a smile at her. After retreating, the pair sat there in uncomfortable silence before he shifted back to Appa. He would have given himself a good verbal lashing and the surroundings around him a violent scorching if not for the fact that he was flying through the sky. So, instead, he sat there on Appa's head, breathing in deeply and exhaling, following Iroh's breathing instructions. He needed to calm and steady himself – he didn't want to be irrational, which would be the end result of his thought process if he wasn't level-minded.

Having calmed down considerably, the Fire Lord began to examine the situation. It was simple, really – Katara didn't want anything to do with him romantically because of her attachment to Aang. It made sense, to a degree, and Zuko understood, again, to a degree. But at the same time, he didn't. Katara would have not kissed him at all if she was so serious about Aang – she would have steadfastly told him 'no' and been done with it. But that had not been the case – instead, Katara _had _kissed him back, and so he knew that deep down, she felt something for him. So Zuko was going to have to convince Katara that she was better off with him than Aang, albeit it subtly, because if she caught on, she would just scold him and probably end the trip right there! But at the same time, Zuko felt the same overpowering feeling from before about betraying Katara's wishes and his friendship with Aang. But at the same time, he felt so powerfully about Katara when he simply looked at her... it was too much to deny. Aang... Aang would understand. Zuko knew he would. He—

Zuko's thoughts were interrupted when Katara said something rather quietly to him. "Hm?" He turned around, giving her a curious look.

"About your mother..." she began again, hands folded in her lap, eye cast downwards. "Do... do you have any clues as to where she may be? If we're going to find her, then we need to start now, as soon as possible."

Zuko blinked at her, before nodding and bringing himself back on the saddle. Going to his bag, he pulled out a two small pieces of paper, and held onto them tightly so as not to lose them to the wind around him. "I have a clue, but not a solid one," he told her. He gave one piece of paper to Katara and she unfolded it, revealing a small painted portrait of the gorgeous once-Fire Princess.

Katara gasped slightly before remarking, "She's beautiful, Zuko."

Zuko smiled bitterly. "I know."

The Waterbender looked up at her companion – the pain was evident in his tone of voice. She knew this was going to be a difficult and overly emotional journey for him. He then unfolded the next piece of paper and stared at it. "My mother used to tell me this all the time," he remarked, motioning to the paper. "It was on the night she left that she wrote it down and gave it to me, though. As some sort of reminder, I guess." He then read out what the paper said: "It reads: 'If you ever need me, if you ever seek me, I'll always be where the Turtleducks are the most abundant in the season of your birth'."

Katara's eyes were calculating as he looked up, and she stated simply, "This is the season of your birth. Summertime – July 2nd. You'll be turning eighteen soon." He nodded, a bit surprised by the fact that she remembered his birthday.

"Yes."

Placing a finger on her chin, she looked to the sky. "Do you have any idea where she might have gone after she left?"

Zuko thought for a second. "I originally believed that maybe she had stayed in the Fire Nation – but then I thought against it. She wouldn't have stayed in the Fire Nation, because if she did and was found, she would have been prosecuted and returned to my father. She wouldn't go the Air Temples, obviously, and she wouldn't go to either of the Water Tribes, either – they're against her natural element; she didn't like the cold one bit. So, the last logical choice would be the Earth Kingdom. That's where I figure she is," Zuko explained. "She likes water, too, but hot temperatures, at the same time. That's why she loved Ember Island so much. She probably stayed closer to the coast, where she could be with both elements in harmony."

Katara nodded. Everything made sense so far. "And she really liked Turtleducks," Katara smiled at him, and he nodded, returning it. "Now, in the note, she said that she would be at the place where Turtleducks were most abundant during this time of year..." She reached into a bag, and pulled out a map and placed the picture of his mother in it for safe keeping. She folded it out and surveyed the map. "Turtleducks are usually scattered all over the place except for the Water Tribe regions... but in the summer, they all gather to a certain place, where it is both peaceful and warm." Tracing her fingers around the map thoughtfully, she looked up at him. "You have any idea where that place may be? An Earth Kingdom town or city that Turtleducks like that is close to the coast."

"Well," he began. "I know that my mother used to travel to a town on the coast of the Earth Kingdom each summer of every year until I was born. I don't remember the name... Ay Shi? I don't know. Thing is, after I was born, she went less often, and stopped completely after Azula turned two."

Fingers still trailing the map, she stopped and pointed at one spot, and then the other. "There!" she said enthusiastically, and Zuko leaned over, blinking at the places she was pointing. Cocking at eyebrow at her, she smiled brightly and explained. "These two places – they are in the Earth Kingdom, they're on the coast, and they are each of one of the places where the Turtleducks flock each year!"

"How do you know this?" Zuko blinked.

Katara looked away and bit her lip. She really didn't need to tell him that she had been to Wan Shi Tong's library... "I read it somewhere," she told him simply, and Zuko went with it. Looking back down at the map, she pointed at them again. "The larger of the two towns in Meijyong, and smaller is Ai Basho. They—"

Zuko's eyes lit up instantly then, and he took her hands in his, squeezing them. "That's it! The town my mother used to visit! Ai Basho!" He felt the sudden urge to kiss her, but refrained. He pulled back then when he noticed her blushing, not wanting to make her uncomfortable. "She used to go to Ai Basho each year to witness the coming of all the Turtleducks – Ai Basho used to be the more famous of the two towns because it had more Turtleducks. I don't know much more than that, though. I don't know why Meijyong's bigger now."

Katara smiled brightly at the Fire Lord. "So, you think she might be in either of those towns?"

"Positive."

"Well, then," she turned to the map again. "Meijyong's closer, so we should probably go there first – you know, just to check around. We can find out a bit more about what happened to Ai Basho to make Meijyong the bigger of the two and most importantly, search around for your mother. It's still going to take a week or so to get there first, at the very least, though."

Zuko nodded, agreeing. His heart was racing as the realization hit him. He might find his mother. He might _actually_ find his mother! As Katara put the map away, he couldn't help but lean over and give her a short hug. Pressing a kiss to her cheek, he whispered to her his gratefulness. It was moments like these that didn't help Katara's cause to reject her feelings for him!

Katara stiffened – she was trying to accustom herself to be a little less too-friendly with Zuko – but she found herself easily encircling her arms around his neck. "You're welcome, Zuko." He exuded happiness, and she could feel it coming off of him in spades, which in turn made her happy. Pulling back, he grinned at her before taking his place back on Appa's head. Tapping the spot next to him, he beckoned Katara over.

Smiling at him, she joined him. "Even though last night was... a _mistake_..." The word felt toxic against his tongue. "I still can't believe how incredibly blessed I am to have you, at least, as a friend, Katara. You've always been there for me." He placed his hand on top of hers, and smiled secretly to himself when she didn't pull away. "You're my best friend," he admitted truthfully.

Nudging against him playfully, the Waterbender looked away and blushed. "I feel the same way you do, Zuko..." Then, unsuspectingly to Zuko, did she take Appa's reins and pull them up and down quickly, a large smile adorning her face. "And off to Meijyong we gooooooooo! Yip, yip!" she cried as Appa flew off at a tremendous speed, forcing Zuko to hold onto Katara for dear life.

~P~

**Author's Notes: **Meijyong and Ai Basho? Completely made up. Ai Basho is a loosely translated version of "loved place", which is actually Aishite o Basho, but I wasn't about to call a town that – too long. Meijyong is just gibberish, though. It doesn't mean a thing!

Also, they don't make a very convincing argument about the night being a "mistake" when they show all that affection, now do they? I thought not. XD


	7. Enter, Meijyong!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Avatar.

~P~

_Chapter 7 – Enter, Meijyong!_

~P~

A week passed by uneventfully. In the days they spent together, though, did they face awkward little fits and tempting situations. But Katara didn't give way to her urges, and though Zuko desperately wanted to, he respected her and her boundaries.

It was a late, late night when they arrived in Meijyong. Katara was bored, and she stared out the expanse of ocean before her. Zuko was sleeping in the saddle, like he had been the last few days. After they had gotten to the edge of the Fire Nation islands, they two had switched riding positions. Zuko was uneasy about flying over the mass of water below him, and he knew that they would be surrounded by it all day, every day for the next few days. So, he opted for allowing Katara the chance to direct Appa, knowing full well that she would actually enjoy the sea.

It was nearly midnight then, and even Katara had to admit, as she yawned, that she was clocking out. She was getting tired of seeing nothing but ocean on all sides and she would have stopped for the night if there was any visible land nearby. She was too tired to know exactly how far they were from the coast any longer – all she knew is that they were close, and that was a good enough reason for her to keep drudging Appa on.

Her eyes dropping, she heard the flying bison sigh heavily, done with the day himself. "I know, I know," she patted his nose gently. "We're almost there, Appa, and then you can relax all you want for a few days."

When seemingly hours passed, Katara was about ready to pass out, but was stopped when she saw the faintest of glows a few miles of the coast. Her eyes perked up, and she narrowed them to see if she could make it out better. Was it the sun? Had she been flying all morning long? The closer Appa flew, the brighter the glow got, and she realized that, no, it was not dawn, but it was dimmed lights of Meijyong!

Suddenly getting a burst of energy, she lifted up Appa's reins and wiggled them, and cooed to the gentle beast sweetly, "Just a few more minutes, and we'll be there, Appa. You think you can speed up a bit more, please?"

Roaring in response, he picked up speed a bit, as he had been hovering just above the water before. Turning then, Katara crawled up to the saddle and braced Zuko by the shoulders, shaking him from his peaceful sleep. Wiping at his eyes, the Fire Lord looked up at her groggily, trying to adjust his sight to the speeding world around him.

"What is it, Katara?" he asked softly.

"Meijyong! We're almost there, Zuko, we're almost there!" she waved her hands in front of his face excitedly, motioning towards the larger town.

Zuko's heart jumped a start, then, and he looked up quickly to see brightening lights of Meijyong before him. Sitting up straight, he smiled up at her. "We're almost there," he repeated to himself quietly, bringing a hand to the left side of his chest, as though this would calm down his heart's loud beating. The look in his eyes was distant, but content. He was that much closer to finding his mother.

Taking his hand, Katara pulled him up and brought him with her so they could sit on Appa's head together. They sat in a comfortable, thoughtful silence before Katara asked, "What's the first thing you want do?"

"Sleep," he told her truthfully, and she laughed. "But really, I want to get as much information about Meijyong and Ai Basho as possible so that we can find her that much faster. But also," he peered down at her and smiled to himself, "I'd like for us to go and see to where the Turtleducks are, as my mother puts it, 'most abundant in the season of my birth'."

"I'd like that," Katara admitted quietly, her face flushing a bit. Taking his hand in hers, she squeezed it tightly and just held it there.

The pair sat quietly, and slowly did Katara's head move to Zuko's shoulder as she looked out to the bay of Meijyong. Looking down at her, Zuko could take the tension in his heart no longer – it had been a week of torture for him. "Katara," he whispered, turning to her. She looked up at him in acknowledgement. His gaze bore into her eyes deeply, and he felt his lips gravitating towards her and hers doing the same, but he stopped them, reluctantly reminding himself of what he was doing right then. "Why... how can you say that that night was a mistake, Katara, if we continue with things like this? You don't put up a very convincing argument when moments like this happen..."

Sighing, Katara's eyes looked away and she lay down on Appa's large head. "Is it selfish that I want you both? That I can't decide?" Katara asked to both herself and Zuko, feeling tears well up in her eyes at her confusion of her feelings.

"No," Zuko admitted. "We're still young – we shouldn't have to make such serious decisions at our age. We shouldn't have to decide who we're in love with – we should just be able to go with it and decide later on. We're supposed to learn and have fun at this point in our lives, because later on we'll all have to be serious." He sighed, his shoulders slumping. "At least, that's how I look at it." Katara shuddered a bit at the 'in love with' part – was she even in love with Aang?

Laying down beside her, he brought his hand to rest on her cheek, and she did the same. "You don't have make a decision now, Katara," he told her simply, feeling his heart break a little at the thought of losing her to Aang. "Just, please, give me as much of a chance as you've given him."

Nodding, she felt the tears run down her face. "I will. I'm just so confused – I feel too much, all the time. I always just end up hurting myself and, more importantly, those around me." She closed her eyes then to prevent the next onslaught of tears that threatened to spill from the corner of her eyes.

Wiping away her tears with a sad smile, he shook his head. "You show emotion, Katara – unlike Mai, you have so much passion. It's one of many reasons why I'm drawn to you – you do everything, say everything, and even _think_ everything with such conviction, such feeling. It's a part of you, and I love it." She smiled at this and gave him a look that just said 'thank you'.

"Zuko," she said a few minutes later, feeling the rough skin that was his scar. "I just... I just need a little more time. I won't make you wait much longer, I promise. Just a few days."

"Take as long as you need," he kissed her nose tenderly, pushing her hair behind her ear and caressing her cheek. "No rush."

"Thank you," she nodded at him, smiling weakly. He returned it with the same meekness, before sitting up.

"We should make sure everything's together... we're going to be there in a few minutes." Katara followed him up and crawled back to the saddle.

Looking around, she nodded at the several bags they had – everything was together, everything was in its place. Nodding at him, she went back to Appa's head.

Those next few minutes passed by quickly and before they knew it, they were landing on the outskirts of town, and Appa landed with a sigh, relieved. The pair hopped off of the flying bison, and Katara patted him on the nose, receiving a large lick in response. "You did a great job, Appa," she told him. "Now, we'll go into town and find a stable for you so you can be extra comfortable, okay? You just stay here and rest up here until then." She petted him for a few more moments before climbing up on him and grabbing her essential pouch of water. "Make sure to keep our things safe, but most importantly, yourself, Appa!" she smiled at him and earned a roar in response. Laughing, she then walked off into town with Zuko.

"So, where do we even start?" she asked as they walked into the large expanse. The town of Meijyong was quite large – bigger than most towns she and the others had been while on their journey, but in no way was it as humongous as Omashu or Ba Sing Se. However, it was still crowded enough that it was going to be a challenge finding Zuko's mother, if she was even there at all.

"Like you said, find a stable that will take Appa in for the next few days, and then find ourselves an inn or something," Zuko groaned, stretching out his arms and back. "I'm exhausted."

"You? All you've done is slept these past few days!" Katara turned to him accusingly.

"Hey, hey," he gave her a wink. "You're the one who volunteered."

She elbowed him and giggled. "Oh, shut up." He gave her a pleading look that just said 'please, all I want to do is sleep already!'. Sighing, she smiled before pushing him away playfully. "I guess you're right. I'm tired, too, and it's late... we can start looking around for clues in the morning."

The pair looked around the place and eventually came across a stable. The man who owned it was confused by what a flying bison was, but as soon as they explained that he was the animal guide of Avatar, the owner was more than happy to let Appa stay in his stables. So, they did what they needed and collected Appa and their things and lead the grateful beast to the stables, where he fell asleep almost immediately.

After a little meandering around, they found an inn for themselves, but Zuko was a little more than reluctant to enter it. "Ji Wu's Hotel of Love?" he blinked at the obnoxiously pink sign, which was adorned by a kissing couple and hearts abound. "Really, Katara? Can't we find somewhere else?"

"Look," she yawned, getting annoyed. "I'm tired, you're tired. It doesn't matter where we stay, as long as we get some sleep."

"It says it's especially for couples!" The Fire Lord pointed up to the sign again.

Walking up to him, she stood closely to him and wrapped her arms around his neck, trying to throw him off in her favour. It worked, because within seconds his face was flushing and his eyes were wide. "I thought you wanted that, Zuko?" she whispered suggestively at him, and he began to splutter at her.

"I-I-I d-do, b-bu—" he was interrupted before he could finish.

"Good then," she pulled back and began to make her way back to the inn's entrance. "Let's go."

Blinking incredulously at her, Zuko regained his flustered composure before hiking his bags higher on his shoulder and following her into the building. The inside looked much like its exterior, as it was decorated with many pink and red pictures and exotic looking mauve-colored plants. The walls were a light pink and the trim was bright red, a contrast that hurt the Fire Lord's sensitive, amber eyes.

Katara had to admit she was a little thrown off by the decor, but she didn't care. All she wanted was a bed to sleep in already! However, little did she know, she was going to regret picking this place in a few seconds.

"See, Zuko?" she turned to her companion, motioning around the place. "This place isn't that bad."

He shrugged. "Whatever you say." He still felt uneasy about it.

"HALLO?"

Zuko and Katara turned at the sound of a loud voice coming from a curtained room, a bit startled by the random, violent noise. A few seconds later, a rather portly, short woman came out and stood at the front desk. "Oh, hallo, there," she greeted them again, smiling brightly.

Before Katara could say 'hi' back, the woman had come out from behind the desk and was now standing in front of the Waterbender. "Hallo! I'm Ji, owner of Ji Wu's Hotel of Love! I suspect that you, young lovers, want a room, don't you?"

Katara put her hands in front of her defensively. "Oh, we're not a—"

"JI?"

Yet another shriek erupted from within the curtained room. From behind the piece of fabric came another woman, however, she was significantly thinner and taller than the other. "What are you doing?" The woman caught sight of Katara and Zuko, who were just standing there dumbly. Walking up to them, she pushed Ji out of the way and bowed to them. "Sorry about her. She's my sister. I'm Wu, the true owner of Ji Wu's Hotel of Love!"

Ji pushed back at her sister. "Are not! I am!"

The two got into a miniature squabble, with Katara and Zuko standing there awkwardly.

"Umm, maybe we should just go...?" Katara pointed at the door, and turned to exit, but before she could, her mother's engagement necklace caught the beady eyes of Ji and Wu, and they grabbed her hand and pulled her back.

"What is this we see?" Ji peered deeply at the necklace.

"Ahhh," Wu's hands came up to grab at it, but Katara prevented it. Smiling up at her, she wiggled her eyebrows. "A Water Tribe engagement necklace?" She looked over at Zuko. "And a Firebender?"

"How did you know?" Zuko blinked at her.

"We've seen our fair share of Fire Nation peoples and Firebenders here – you all dress the same, red and gold!" Ji explained before turning back to the necklace. "But how romantic!" She took Katara by one hand, while her sister took the other and they danced her around. "You're eloping! The scandalous love between your two different nations has kept you apart – but now? Now you two can be together, forever, always immersed in your love for each other!"

The two sisters released Katara's hands then and clasped their own hands together, continuing the dance. Katara's eyes widened and she waved her hands in front of her. "No, we're not getting married – we just need a room, you see... we're very tired."

It seemed as though Ji and Wu only caught the second part of that sentence, though.

"Oh! You want a _room_, do ya?" Wu's eyebrows rose. She snickered before going to the back of the small desk and pulling out a small piece of paper, which she read over. "It seems as though we have one room left..." Katara was going to thank them, but then Wu continued, "... it's our honeymoon suite! Now, we know you're not married yet, but... you two should get some practice in while you can, don't you think?"

Zuko's face turned so red that he could have caught on fire right there and then out of pure embarrassment. Ji slinked across the room to him and elbowed him teasingly. "Oh, you sly dog, you," she whispered, and he wanted to faint. What had he done to deserve this? She then squinted at him, and grabbed his searing cheek. "My, my, you two are so young now that I look! The youngest couple we've probably ever had here! You can't be any older than... why, it doesn't matter! True love conquers all!"

Wu joined her sister now, bringing Katara over with her and grinning creepily at Zuko. Leaning into Katara, she whispered, "He's pretty cute, there, girly. Got him some nice muscles on those arms of his. Mmm-mmm! You sure now how to pick 'em."

Katara had to bite her tongue from commenting and her face flushed brightly to match her degree of embarrassment.

Next, Ji commented. "You two would have beautiful children."

It was a simple comment, but it was enough to make Zuko outright splutter.

Wu turned to Ji and slapped her arm. "Children? Ji, they aren't even married yet! Unless—" Her eyes went wide and she looked down at Katara's stomach, "—that's why you two are getting married in the first place!" She went to poke at Katara's stomach, but the Waterbender held her hand over it.

"I-I am _not _pregnant!" Katara defended herself. She wanted to look at Zuko, but at the same time, she could not bring herself to even side-glance at the flustered Fire Lord.

"Hey, it's not our business," Ji said, before returning to the desk. "So, do you two lovebirds want the room?"

Katara opened her mouth to answer, but Zuko spoke before she could. "We'd love to," the Fire Lord nodded, suddenly becoming authoritative. "Put it under the names of Zuko and Katara."

Ji and Wu nodded enthusiastically at the pair before writing a few things on a sheet of paper. "Do you want us to show you to your room?"

"I think we can manage," Zuko bowed curtly to the women before taking Katara's hand and dragging her up the small staircase beside them. Katara followed him, dumbfounded by what he just did.

They easily found their room – there was only three of them, and two were already occupied. Pulling both of them inside, Zuko shut the door and locked it up before Ji or Wu could come up and bother them again. He looked around the room – as was expected, there was only one bed and everything was still pink and red. Great.

Sitting down and plopping her things down beside her, the Waterbender crossed her arms and glared at Zuko. "What was that for? I was going to try to leave so we could find another place – those two women are ridiculous!"

"I know, I know," he sat down beside her and sighed heavily, before turning away and blushing again. "I was just getting fed up and I knew they weren't going to listen to the whole 'we're not getting married' thing, so I went with it. I'm too tired to deal with them right now."

Katara cracked a smile, letting go of her grumpy attitude. "That was pretty bad down there. Married? As if."

Zuko rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "Yeah..."

A few more seconds passed, and the pair began to laugh quietly, so as not to wake the other couples that were already sleeping. "Hey, they even think we should be together, Katara!" he told her, half-serious, half-joking.

She punched his arm lightly before blushing. "Let's not start with that again."

He opened his mouth to speak again, but was interrupted by a knock at the door.

"Do you two need anything?"

It was Ji.

Zuko grumbled and was about to answer back, before Katara called, "No, thank you. We're a bit busy at the moment."

Zuko's eyes widened, and she winked at him. Leaning over, she kissed his neck gently, and whispered into his ear, "Just go with it. Make it sound convincing."

They heard an odd-sounding giggle from behind the door. When Katara gave him a look, he nodded compliantly. This was possibly the craziest night of his life.

He placed his hands on her hips, and he leaned forward and kissed her cheeks. Katara continued to kiss at his neck, which almost earned her a moan, but Zuko contained himself. Pushing her down on the bed, he was about to press his lips to her – even if he promised not to quite yet – when they heard footsteps coming up the stairs.

"Ji? What are you doing?" It was, obviously, Wu. "Ji! Leave those two alone!"

"B-but, sister, they're—it's so romantic!" Ji cried from behind the door. Katara and Zuko had to keep themselves from chuckling at her melodrama.

"I know, I know," Wu said in response. "But let's leave them alone for tonight... we can listen in on them tomorrow!" And with an incessant giggle and a clap of her hands, Ji stood up and left the two alone once again along with her sister.

"Okay, okay!" they heard Ji call at her sister happily.

Once they knew they were gone for good, the pair giggled, but did not fall out of the other's arms. Zuko's face was close to hers, so close that their noses were touching. His hand on the back of her head, he leaned forward and closed the gap between them, kissing her tenderly.

It was a moment of indulgence, but within a few short moments, Katara was pressing on his chest with her hands. He pulled back and saw her shaking her head at him, her eyes lowered.

Sighing, he sat up and brought her with him. "I'm sorry," she told him quietly. He just shook his head.

"It's fine. In fact, I'm sorry." This was exactly what he meant by leading him on – she'd act like she was interested in him, but then rejected him! What was he supposed to do about this situation?

When she looked over at him, she noticed the extremely tired – both physically and emotionally – glaze in his eyes. He was tired of waiting, and Katara was tired of letting him hurt and long for her. But she promised she'd come to a decision – and she was.

Smiling at him, she took his hands and squeezed them before standing up. "We really, really should be getting to sleep. It's got to be at least three in the morning... which side of the bed do you want?"

"Left, I guess," he shrugged, and stood up, as well.

Turning around, Katara pulled off her heavier layer of clothes and discarded them to the side. Zuko's eyes widened and he looked away.

Noticing his expression, Katara giggled. "It's fine, silly. I'm not stripping down – I'm wearing what I normally do to bed."

"I-I knew that!" he sputtered. He then removed his shirt and shoes before walking over to his side of the bed and crawling in. He threw the blankets over himself and lay down happily. "Finallllllyyy."

Joining him in the bed, she turned over to the candle on her side of the bed and blew it out. Zuko followed her actions suit. She then turned to him and smiled. "We are _so_ going a different hotel tomorrow," she told him.

He smirked at her. "Why? I kind of like it here," he lied, stretching his arms behind his head. Katara blinked at his muscled chest before looking away, blushing slightly.

Regaining her composure and smiling at him, she leaned over and placed a hand on his bare chest to steady herself, and kissed him on the cheek. Peering down into his amber eyes, she whispered, "Goodnight, Zuko." She then crawled back into her place and flipped over to face the wall, and within minutes, she was out like a light bulb.

"'Night, Katara," he told her back, but he knew she was already asleep by the time he said it. At the sound of her soft snores, he smiled to himself, and easily and comfortably drifted off into a deep slumber fit for the one and only Fire Lord.

~P~

**Author's Notes: **Ji and Wu were last minute additions to this chapter. I figured both Katara and Zuko needed a bit of humour in their lives! And so Ji and Wu were created! Also, Happy Valentine's Day!


	8. The Search Begins!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Avatar.

~P~

_Chapter 8 – The Search Begins!_

~P~

Zuko snuggled closer to the pillow he was holding, and smiled at how warm it was. It wasn't until he heard the supposed pillow snoring lightly that his eyes groggily opened up to look down at the person in his arms – Katara, of course! The Waterbender was, in turn, cuddled up the Fire Lord, her breathing even and controlled.

He smiled and yawned then, not wanting to disturb her. She hadn't gotten nearly as much sleep as she should have during their trip across the sea, and so he knew she was still quite tired. And on a more selfish note, he just liked being the one who was holding her while she slept.

So he easily drifted off back to sleep, and a few more hours passed. When he woke up next, he flipped over and saw Katara propped up on her elbow and turned on her side, smirking at him. "How you doing, sleepyhead?" she joked. "Good sleep?"

Smiling at her, he replied calmly, "Yeah. You?"

"Completely," she stretched her arms above her head and yawned, before sidling up to him. "To be honest, I don't want to get out of bed. It's nice and warm. Actually," she smiled, "you're nice and warm."

"That, along with the fact that those two women are down there waiting for us," Zuko pointed at the door. "They'll be at us like messenger hawks."

"It doesn't matter _when_ we get out of bed," Katara began. "They're still going to think we slept together."

Zuko blushed brightly at the thought. "Right. We're not getting out of this one..."

The pair sat in silence a bit longer, before Katara finally forced herself out of the bed with a grumble. Zuko watched as she went to her bag and put on her clothes, and pulled a brush through her hair.

When she realized that he was making no move to get ready like she was, she turned to him and raised an eyebrow. "You going to get ready or am I going to have to force you out of there?"

"I don't know," he stretched out languidly, smirking. "You tell me?"

"Fine, then," she walked over to his side of the bed and pounced on him before tickling him.

Neither of them expected it – Zuko didn't expect Katara to tickle him, and Katara most certainly did not think Fire Lord Zuko would burst out laughing.

"S-stop it!" his arms flailed back and forth as he tried to throw her off of him, a large grin adorning his handsome face. Katara, however, milked the situation for all she could. She giggled as he laughed uncontrollably, her fingers travelling methodically up his sides.

She stopped for a brief second to smile down at him, highly amused. "_You_? Ticklish? You didn't strike me as the type."

"S-shut up," he mumbled, turning his face sideways while blushing.

"Hey, I think it's cute," she winked at him before falling to his side. A few seconds passed before she said, "So, are you ready to get up yet?"

Smirking devilishly to himself, Zuko flipped onto his side and took hold of her. "Not until I get my revenge!"

Katara barely had time to relax when he began to tickle her back. She began to laugh, but it was gentler and less rambunctious compared to Zuko's booming chuckles, but laugh she did, nonetheless. She tried to pull away, punching her arms back and forth so she could get a single breath of air, but Zuko was relentless, and would not stop.

When it seemed as though this tickle attack would never end, Katara screeched out, "Okay! Okay! You win!"

Zuko stopped then, allowing the Waterbender to collapse into a heap at his side, heaving from her lack of breath.

"Dear Agni, woman, you can scream," Zuko commented, slowly pulling himself out of the bed and turning back to her.

"You don't even know that _half _of it," Katara joked, smiling suggestively at him before going to her own bag and collecting her things together.

Zuko's face flamed up at that. "You... you're joking, right?"

Katara sighed, amused, before turning around, her hands on her hips. "_Yes_, Zuko. Aang's barely fourteen. I'm not that kind of person. But according to Ji and Wu, we both are."

Zuko rolled his eyes, but they travelled to the door when he heard the collective sounds of footsteps rushing up the stairs.

"Looks like they heard our little... 'session'," Katara remarked, crossing her arms and frowning at him and the door.

"Dammit," Zuko sighed, digging through his things and pulling on a clean shirt before packing everything up. "Let's just check out and go."

Nodding, Katara grabbed her bag and walked over to the door, with Zuko following suit. Taking his hand, she heard some giggling from the other side of the door before she grabbed the door handle and yanked the door open. Within seconds, Ji and Wu fell on the floor in front of them, completely unsuspecting of what had just happened.

"O-oh! Hallo, you two!" Ji called at them. She stood up quickly, pulling Wu up with her.

"So," Wu gave Zuko a devilish look and stepped forward. "How was your two's night?"

"Brilliant," Katara answered, side-glancing at Zuko, who just nodded in response, a light blush staining his cheeks. "But we're ready to check out now."

"Oh, yes, yes," Ji nodded, and she walked towards the stairs, motioning for Katara to follow her. Katara did so, leaving Wu alone with Zuko for a few seconds. The older woman gave him a creepy look and smile to match, causing the Fire Lord to swallow and eek his way over and down the staircase.

By the time Zuko was at the end of the stairs, Katara was done talking to Ji and they were already checked out and ready to leave the building. She smiled and nodded at the woman before turning to Zuko and walking with him towards the door.

"Thank you for staying with us!" Wu called after them as they opened the front door, and her sister joined her, waving dramatically at them. Katara waved back at them.

"Yes, yes! And if you two little love bugs ever need somewhere else to fulfill your lustful wishes, you know where we are!" Ji yelled at them through the doorway just before the door shut completely.

Zuko's face flushed out of embarrassment when he noticed that Ji's last - and rather loud - comment had gotten some passersby looking at him and Katara oddly.

"You have no idea how glad I am that we never have to see that place again," he commented to Katara quietly.

"Same," she nodded. The pair distanced themselves from the hotel as much as they could before they stopped. They walked into a little park and sat down. "So, we're starting the search officially today," Katara began, and Zuko looked at the ground, nodding solemnly.

"Yes."

"We should probably get some more information about Meijyong first, instead of just wandering around," Katara pointed out, and she looked around. "But... who do we ask?" Her eyes scanned the small park, but the only other people around was an old woman and man on the other side of the expanse, sitting on the bench opposite to the companions. It was only then that Katara realized how empty the place seemed. "Where... where is everyone?" Just minutes before, there had been a good amount of people surrounding them, but now... no one!

"I think we walked into an older part of town," Zuko commented, pointing around. Katara followed where his fingers were motioning, and noticed that the buildings around them looked much older, much less cared for. The edges of some of them were burned slightly, and the materials that made the buildings up were worn down and old, the paint dull. This area of Meijyong was noticeably quieter and less populated than the newer one.

"I guess we did," Katara nodded. Her eyes landed on the elderly couple on the other side of the park again. "Well, maybe we can ask them. They probably know a lot more than some of the newer residents here."

As the Waterbender walked forward, Zuko grabbed her hand and pulled her back. "No, Katara."

She turned back to him and her eyes glinted. "What do you mean, 'no'? You can't just expect for your mother to jump out at you, Zuko – we're going to have to look for facts, for information that will help us here. And they—" She pointed at the two older people again, "—can probably help us!"

Zuko sighed, looking at the ground. "Y-you're right. I'm sorry."

Katara sat back down briefly beside him, placing her hand on his back and rubbing circles on it. "I realize that the possibility of finding your mother is exciting but... it's also scary. I understand your reluctance, Zuko." She heard him breathe in shakily.

A few moments of silence passed before Zuko sat up straight again. "O-okay. Let's go see what they know about Meijyong."

Katara smiled at him, and he took her hand and brought her with him as he stood up.

"Right," she nodded at him, and the two made their way over to the couple. It was only when they were a few feet away that Katara panicked. She hadn't really thought of how she was going to get information out of them – was she just supposed to randomly ask? She didn't think so. "W-wait," she stopped Zuko. "How am I supposed to go about this?"

"I don't know, tell them that we're new here and would like some knowledge on the city's past or something like that," he shrugged.

"Okay..." She continued walking forward, and a few steps later, she was standing in front of the quietly chatting couple.

The two elders stopped talking to each other and looked up at Katara curiously. "Why, hello there," said the woman. "Is there something we can do for you, dearest?"

"Actually," Katara began, smiling nervously. "We're, uh, new here in Meijyong. We were wondering... is there anything we should know about this lovely town now that we live here?" She stood there, waiting for a response, and swore she would get Zuko later if his idea didn't work.

The old man's cane flew up in the air in response, and he answered with, "Of course, there is! Meijyong is a wonderful place, and it's a pity, really – since the town re-established itself all those years ago, a younger generation has been moving in, and the majority of them don't even care about the past of this place – which, I'll have you know, is quite amazing!" He stopped to breathe before going off again. "You see, Meijyong—"

"Liu, my dear, calm down," the man's wife – or so Katara assumed – turned to him and patted him on the shoulder gently. Liu stopped talking, gave his wife a look and huffed. His wife smiled at him before looking up and doing the same at Katara. "Sorry about him. He would have just rambled on and on if I let him. My name is Oro." She pulled her hand out from her robe and gave it to Katara to shake, and the Waterbender did so.

"I'm Katara," she said, and she motioned to Zuko. "And this is Zuko."

"You two definitely aren't from around you," Oro noted aloud. "Those names... are definitely not Earth Kingdom ones."

Katara blushed. "You're right. But... we decided to move to Meijyong to start a life... um..." she reached behind her and took Zuko's hand, "a life together." She had to make their lie convincing, and she figured they were going to be mistaken for a couple anyhow, and so she just decided to take advantage of that.

Zuko didn't protest or splutter like with Ji and Wu (he figured it was because this kindly old couple weren't nearly as embarrassing to be around as the two women were) – apparently their new cover in Meijyong was that they were a couple. Also, quite honestly, he liked being able to hold Katara's hand.

"How sweet," Oro clasped her hands together. She turned back to her husband. "Like Liu here was saying, there are a few things you two should know about Meijyong now that you live here. I don't think that our little park is a suitable place to talk about the history of this place, though." She stood up then, pulling up the suddenly quiet and grumpy Liu with her. She walked a bit down the path that led to the exit of the park, ushering Katara and Zuko to follow her. "Come now," she smiled at the pair before turning around and leading herself and her husband further down the path.

Turning to Zuko and beaming, Katara leaned over and kissed his cheek. "You're a genius!" she whispered in his ear, before releasing his hand and walking forward.

Zuko smiled to himself before following the eager Waterbender and the elderly couple.

~P~

"It's so nice that two young people like yourselves are interested in learning the history of Meijyong," Oro smiled at them as she poured each of them a cup of tea. They were in Liu and Oro's home – it was a quaint little thing on the edge of the older part of town. It was nice and quiet – the perfect place for the elderly couple.

"Thank you so much for being so willing to teach us, Oro," Katara bowed to the woman. "We're practically strangers, so again, thank you."

"No, no," the older woman waved her hands at Katara after placing the teapot down. "It's our pleasure. Like I said, anything to get the newer generation educated on Meijyong's past."

Sitting down beside her husband, across the table from Katara and Zuko, Oro folded her hands together. "Now, what would you like to know? Liu and I will try our very best to answer all of your questions."

"Well..." Katara turned to Zuko – she was expecting that he'd be a little more involved in this entire operation instead of being so quiet and unhelpful. When he just looked away from her gaze and instead sipped his tea, she sighed and turned back to Oro. "I was told by my boyfriend that Meijyong used to be smaller than Ai Basho – why is it that Meijyong is now bigger? Do you know why?"

"Ah," Oro closed her eyes as she recollected information. "Well, for that, we'll have to go back about nearly fifteen years... it was during the war, when Fire Lord Ozai was still ruling over the Fire Nation." Katara saw Zuko physically cringe at the mention of his father, and placed a comforting hand on his thigh. "Ai Basho and our lovely Meijyong were mostly uninvolved in the war, but for some unknown reason, one day, Fire Lord Ozai sent a brigade our way, and he destroyed both of our towns. After that awful day, it took a long time for both towns to get back up and recover. Meijyong offered help to Ai Basho, but they wouldn't accept it, and so we left it at that. Slowly but surely, Meijyong built itself back up and within a few years, our population grew bigger than that of Ai Basho, which used to be larger.

"Ai Basho pretty much rejected all the help it was offered from surrounding towns, and so its recovery from the attack wasn't as quick or grandeur as ours. We got an influx of citizens from Ai Basho who needed a new place to set up their businesses, too." Oro breathed, catching her breath from all of her talking.

"And, the most major reason, of course, are our precious Turtleducks," she continued with a smile. Zuko's head flew up then, and Katara smiled at his reaction, the sudden light in his eyes. "As you both probably know, Meijyong is famous for the fact that the Turtleducks migrate to here each year. But there was a time when it wasn't like this – Ai Basho used to be the more famous of the towns for Turtleduck migrations. People from all over would come to see the Turtleducks there. But after the attack, the Turtleducks just... stopped going to Ai Basho, and completely redirected here. There hasn't been a migration there in over ten years." Zuko's expression dropped then. "Ai Basho was mostly famous for their Turtleducks, and so after they stopped migrating there, people stopped going to Ai Basho and instead came here, which in turn resulted in some of the lessening population there. So," Oro inhaled, "those are the reasons why Meijyong is now more populous than Ai Basho. It's a shame, really." Folding her hands, she smiled again. It seemed as though it was impossible for the woman to be sad. "Have you anymore questions, m'dear?"

"Yes, about the Turtleducks. Do you know where we can go to go and see them?" Katara asked with a bright smile. She looked over at Zuko, who had a small smile on his face. He was finally becoming hopeful about the situation.

"Oh, um, dear," Oro's hand came up to her mouth, and the look on her face became distressed. Her husband answered before she could.

"Hah, sorry, young'un, but the Turtleducks won't be here for another few weeks – two or four, depends," Liu told them both, and Zuko's face fell. "You'll know when the Turtleducks are here because they're be nearly triple the amount of people around."

The room was quiet until Katara said, "Oh."

A few more moments of silence followed, but Zuko broke it when he stood up quickly. "I'm sorry, I need a minute," the Fire Lord told them all, before opening their front door and slamming it shut. Liu was nonchalant, while Oro looked between the door and Katara, concerned.

"I-I'll go check on him," Katara answered to the worried elder quickly, jumping out of her seat and out of the door. Zuko was standing a ways away in the couple's beautiful garden. His hand was on his forehead as he glared pensively at the ground. Katara approached the irritated Fire Lord slowly. "Zuko... what was that for?"

"You _know _why, Katara," he answered bitterly. When she got closer to him, he threw his hands up in the air, frustrated. "Those damn Turtleducks aren't here yet! Why did we even come here?"

"We couldn't have known, Zuko," she gave him a look. "We didn't know their exact migration schedule – all we knew is that they'd be here around this time."

"Katara," he turned to her. "This means she's not here. If the Turtleducks aren't here, then she's not. She won't be in Ai Basho, either, because they apparently haven't been there in years!"

"I... I was thinking that maybe, actually, if you were okay with it, we could go to Ai Basho..." Katara whispered.

"Why would we do that?"

"Because, you said yourself that it was your mother's favourite place to go and—"

"That's why my father burned it down," Zuko said suddenly as his eyes widened, cutting Katara off.

"What?"

"That's why my father burned both Ai Basho - and Meijyong - down, Katara. It's because it was my mother's favourite place to be," he looked to the ground as the memories began to bombard his head. "I remember now – when I was about five, my parents had a fight. It was louder than the others, and I think it was about my mother wanting to go to Ai Basho, but my father wouldn't let her. She... she wanted to take Azula and I there, for my birthday – I-I remember. He became furious when she defended her point against him, and in his extreme retaliation he... he burned Ai Basho and Meijyong to the ground. I was the reason they suffered, were destroyed. Katara... I... I..."

"Zuko, you didn't do anything," Katara said as she walked up to him, hugging him closely. A few minutes passed before she pulled back, and she smiled sadly at him. Noticing the tears building up in the Fire Lord's eyes, she held him again. "I figure we could go to Ai Basho and ask around. It's so small there, that it wouldn't take long, and maybe some of the older residents there would remember your mother, Zuko, if given the proper information. I know that the Turtleducks aren't there anymore, but your mother loved Ai Basho, so why wouldn't she go back to it? Maybe... maybe she'll even be there, Zuko. Maybe's she's been there the entire time, waiting for you." She retreated again, and wiped away the tears on his cheeks. "And after we look around Ai Basho, if we don't find anything, at least a little bit of time will have passed and we'll be able to come here again and see the Turtleducks. We'll be able to check if she's here instead."

Zuko's next words came out quietly, sadness lacing each one. "And then what? What if she isn't in either places? Do we just give up, Katara?"

"Don't think that way, Zuko," Katara frowned at him, "just try to be positive for once. We'll find her, I promise." A few seconds of silence passed. "So... do you want to try my idea?" she asked tenderly.

"Sure," he nodded slowly.

Her hands sliding down into his, she squeezed them gently before smiling. "Now, let's go back inside." She led the moping Fire Lord to the door, gave him a reassuring look, and then entered the small home.

"Ah, we were beginning to get worried about you two," Oro smiled at them.

"No, I wasn't," Liu commented grumpily, and Oro elbowed him in response.

"Would you like some more tea?" Oro asked, reaching over the table to grab the teapot.

"Actually," Katara's face became apologetic. "We should get going. We've got a long day of... unpacking ahead of us, and we need all the time we can get. I'm extremely sorry that we're leaving you on such short notice."

Oro stood up and frowned. "Well, that's too bad. It's nice that we got some visitors, though."

"Thank you so much for telling us about the history of Meijyong and Ai Basho," Katara bowed, "and for the tea."

"You are welcome, young one," Oro bowed back. "Make sure you come and visit us old folks every once and a while now, though. We don't want to be forgotten about!"

"We'll make sure to come back and visit you, Oro, I promise," Katara smiled at the woman before turning back to Zuko and nodding at him, she opened the door again and they began to filter out. "Bye now!"

"Goodbye!" Oro called to them, smiling brightly, walking up to the door and leaving it slightly ajar so she could watch them. "See you later!" In the distance, Katara turned around and waved at the woman before they walked out of her field of vision.

~P~

"So, off to Ai Basho," Katara said quietly. They were out in the newer part of town again, sitting at the main fountain of town, people and animals bustling all around them.

"We should go and get Appa and leave soon if we want to make it there by nightfall," Zuko told her.

"Agh," Katara grumbled. "I promised Appa that he could sleep all he wanted here for the next few days... he's not going to be happy."

"I'm not walking there," Zuko told her matter-of-factly. Then shrugging, he said, "Just get him to fly us to Ai Basho today and tell him that you're sorry and that he can sleep for the next two weeks straight. It's true."

Katara sighed. "I guess that what I'm going to have to do."

Nodding, Zuko stood up and offered her his hand. "Then let's get going."

Placing her hand in his and allowing him to pull her up, the two made their way out of the busy main streets and to Appa's stable.

~P~

It took a bit of work, but with some bribing, Katara managed to get Appa to leave the stable and up in the air.

Their ride through the air was relaxing, refreshing and quiet. Zuko and Katara sat beside each other in amiable silence.

"Hey," he nudged against her when he noticed her drifting off a bit, and wanting to keep her focussed, he began to talk to her. "I just wanted to thank you for all you've done up until now. You've taken the initiative for a situation that's not even yours – and I am extremely grateful for that... for you." He leaned over then and gave her a kiss on the cheek, which definitely brought the drifting girl back into reality.

"You're welcome, Zuko," she smiled at him. "Anything for a friend." Her expression fell then, and she became serious. "Wait, no." She turned to him and gave him a stern look, and Zuko felt his own smile drop. "Not just anything for a friend – anything for _you_, Zuko. Anything." Her lips curled into a grin again, and she leaned against him.

"I'd do anything for you, too," he admitted. And it was true, because if he was being honest, he was falling hard and fast for this girl, and for once, he didn't mind not being in complete control of his feelings.

~P~

**Author's Notes: **Oh, Katara! When will you make up your mind between Aang and Zuko and stop breaking the poor Fire Lord's heart? You cruel ice witch, you! Just kidding. :P

But just a head's up because Lilako pointed it out – Zuko kind of considers himself broken up with Mai now (at least in his mind), even if he didn't outright tell her that, but Mai still thinks that they are a dysfunctional couple. And for there to be that kind of communication discrepancy, they certainly are!


	9. The Little Town of Ai Basho

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Avatar.

~P~

_Chapter 9 – The Little Town of Ai Basho_

~P~

The pair flew all day, and arrived in Ai Basho by early evening. They set Appa down on the edge of the one path that led into the village, where he fell onto his side. "We're sorry, buddy," Zuko patted the flying bison's side. Appa licked Zuko lazily.

"We should find him a stable as soon as possible so he can just sleep," Katara told Zuko. The Waterbender looked into the main gates of town, and saw a woman standing in the entrance, wearing a sugegasa. Walking closer to the woman, she called out, "Hey, do you know where we can find a stable here, please? Our friend is very tired and—"

The woman walked to the side and out of sight. Katara raised her eyebrow at the spot where she had been, expecting the woman to come back. When she didn't, Katara rolled her eyes and turned back to Zuko and Appa. "Whatever, we can find the stable on our own."

"Actually," Zuko pointed in the direction the lady had gone. "I think she wants us to follow her."

"How do you figure?"

"Well, she's standing there and motioning for us," he explained, smiling at Katara, and the girl turned around again to see the same exact woman standing right where she was before, beckoning both forth with her index finger.

"Oh."

Zuko smirked at her then, taking Appa by the reins and leading him forward, and after a few seconds passed, Katara followed them. They walked through the gates of Ai Basho, and looked around the town and its scenery. It looked a lot like the older parts of Meijyong did – quaint, small, and quiet. Unlike Meijyong, however, only a select few people littered the streets, mostly elders.

"It's so cute here," Katara remarked to Zuko as she caught up to him.

"It is nice and peaceful," he responded back. The woman walked a good deal in front of them, but close enough that she could still direct them to the stable. She didn't turn around once or say a word to either of them, which Katara found a bit odd, but the Waterbender did not dwell on it long.

A few more minutes passed before they arrived at a small stable. The woman stepped inside, talked to a man and woman quickly, before walking back out and directing the three into the stable. The pointed to the largest stall at the end of the stable, and the pair walked Appa down to it and placed him inside. The beast fell on his side, and like in Meijyong, fell asleep instantaneously. Katara laughed, and while Zuko petted him on the nose, she turned around to thank the strange woman, but she was already gone.

"Hm," Katara looked around, wondering if the mysterious lady was just standing off to the side or something, but she could not find her. "That's odd." _It's fine_, Katara told herself. _The town's only so big, I'll find her sooner or later. I can thank her then._

"What are you thinking about?" Zuko's voice broke Katara out of her thoughts, and she turned, forgetting about the subject for now.

"Oh, noth—" Katara's sentence was cut off by her stomach growling. Blushing embarrassedly and placing her hand on her stomach, Katara frowned at it. "I guess I'm a bit hungry."

"Same," Zuko looked out the door of the stable. "We haven't really eaten all day. We should probably try to find a place to eat."

Nodding at him, Katara exited the stable and Zuko followed her.

"It doesn't look like there's too many places open," Zuko frowned, looking around. It was true – most of the small businesses were already closed for the night, considering they had no reason to be open until the later hours of the nights.

"Well, there's a place," Katara pointed to a shop on the other side of the small village. "Torimasu's Tea Shop. Looks nice enough." Turning to Zuko, she shrugged and he nodded, and they made their way over to the shop.

The pair easily got a small table to sit at, as there was only a small group of boys their age on the other side of the cute restaurant, a young family, and an elderly man sitting closely to the window. They had spent about fifteen minutes in the place when Katara noticed the same mysterious lady from before sitting in the corner opposite them. "Hey!" she called at Zuko. "There's that lady! I should go—"

"Where?" Zuko turned around, and looked where Katara had been pointing. "I don't see anybody, Katara."

Katara's head snapped back in the direction where the woman _had _been, and she blinked incredulously when, in fact, she saw no woman sitting there. "What? She was just sitting there! I—" Zuko gave her a look, raising his eyebrow at her, "—I guess I'm just really tired. Yeah, that's it."

Zuko's eyes flashed sympathetically, and he placed his hand next to hers and smiled charmingly. "We'll finish up here and then go find a hotel to stay in, okay?"

Blushing at him, she smiled back sheepishly. "Okay."

A few minutes later, they made their little requests and waited patiently for their food and tea. The pair talked for a good amount of time, just enjoying each other's company. It was nice to talk about simple, trivial things for once instead of deathly serious ones. They laughed as they recalled funny memories and as the night carried on, Katara found herself becoming increasingly enamoured in the Fire Lord – it was like they were on a date.

When they got their food, though, is when the night took a turn for the worse. The teenage boys on the other side of the restaurant started to give Katara intense looks, and because she was facing them, she did her best to ignore them. The Fire Lord didn't notice them at first, but he did when he heard them whistling in the Waterbender's direction and occasionally shouting inappropriate things.

"Hey, there, cutie," one of the older ones called out to her. "Why don't you leave that loser and come on over here?"

When Zuko closed his eyes out of annoyance, Katara reached across the table and placed her hand on his. "Ignore them. They're just being idiots."

"You shouldn't have to put up with them," he told her, exhaling loudly. "You're a war hero, Katara. You're more than just a pretty face."

She nodded at him and smiled softly. "It's okay, really."

As time passed, the boys seemed to stop, but their peace once again was disturbed when the same boy from before slinked over to their table and leaned on it, looking at Katara lustfully.

"Hey, baby," he purred. "After you're done here, do you wanna come over to my table and go on a real date?" He raised his eyebrows up and down at her.

Katara giggled at his goofiness, causing Zuko's overemotional side to take over, and he felt his heart burn with sudden jealousy.

"I'm sorry," Katara placed her hands in front of her. "I'm already out and having a good time."

"Come on," the boy sat closer to Katara then, and snuck his arm around her shoulders, causing her to tense up at the sudden contact. Zuko glared at the boy, who just continued to give him dirty looks and smile suggestively at Katara. "I'll show you a great time, if you know—"

Zuko stood up then, and grabbed the boy by his shirt collar before throwing him to the ground. "She said no!" The only person who was left in the restaurant at this point was the owner and the elderly man, who just stared out the window non-chalantly.

The boy sat up, rubbing at his neck. His friends on the other side of the restaurant jumped up, ready to go after Zuko if need be.

"Zuko!" Katara sat up, folding her arms across her chest and giving him an unimpressed look.

"Wait, what? _Zuko_?" The boy looked up at the Firebender, who glared down at him. He gave him a hard look before a look of utter disgust broke out on his face. "_You're _Fire Lord Zuko?" Zuko's eyes narrowed at the boy, and his green ones narrowed back in response. "Hey, guys! Get this – _this_ guy is Fire Lord Zuko!"

His friends stalked over to them now, grinning evilly.

"What's it to you?" Zuko growled.

"Your father—" The boy stood up now and cracked his knuckles, and he shook his dark hair out of his face, "—is the reason my town _burned_, you pompous ass. I didn't have a childhood because your father came and set flames to it!"

"What does that have to do with me?" Zuko crossed his arms and glared at him, not at all fazed by the arrival of his friends.

"Well, considering that you've already locked him up, you're the next best thing we can go after," the boy grinned manically. "While you were living the ignorant, sheltered life of luxury, my friends and I were rebuilding our village from the ground up! You don't deserve life, you worm!"

Zuko's fist clenched, but Katara walked up beside him and took it in her hand. He looked down at their hands and then at Katara, who gave him a pleading look. "Please, don't react to their insults. They're just trying to get to you. Be the better man and leave, Zuko."

Zuko closed his eyes, before relaxing his hand and sighing.

"Yeah, that's right, listen to your little girlfriend," the boy taunted. Zuko reached into his pocket deposited some money on the table, nodded at the owner and began to leave. Katara had herself latched to Zuko's arm to prevent him from setting one of the boy's on fire.

The pair made it outside without much trouble, but when a rock made contact with Zuko's head, the Firebender pushed Katara off to the side and his hand alighted with intense flames. Turning around, he saw the pack of five boys standing there, each of them holding a good sized rock in their hand, smirking. "Which one of you cowards did that?" he shouted at them.

"Ooh, temper, temper," the same boy from before shook his finger condescendingly at the Fire Lord.

The Firebender stepped forward at the taunt, and Katara screamed at him. "Zuko!"

Clenching his fists, the fire surrounding them went out and he walked back over to her. "Let's get out of here, Katara."

He walked no more than one step before a small piece of ground jutted up beneath him, and he tripped and fell face first onto the dirt. The boys behind him laughed, and Katara fell to his side. "Are you okay?" she asked, concerned as she wiped away bits and pieces of rock from his face. In the small amount of racket they were making, a few people had begun to exit their houses and watch the scene curiously.

"I'm fine," he wiped at his face, standing up. "But they're not going to be in a few minutes." This time, Katara did not stop Zuko, and she stood back.

Turning around, Zuko saw the head boy in a fighting stance. "So, you're an Earthbender?" Zuko set his hands on fire again.

"We all are," he motioned to his four other friends. "You gonna back down?"

"Not a chance in hell," Zuko stepped forward, the flames on his hands growing fiercer.

"Idiot," the boy rolled his eyes. Before Katara knew what was happening, the boy and his friends stamped their feet on the ground, and four tall stone walls shot up from the earth. They went up so high in the sky that they obstructed her view of the Fire Lord, and realizing the severity of the situation, she ran up to the wall and began pounding on it.

"Zuko! Zuko, can you hear me? Get out of there, please!"

Zuko could barely hear the girl's mumbled cries on the other side of the thick rock. Ignoring her pleads, he turned back to the fight. He was outnumbered – five Earthbenders to a single Firebender. But he could do it – he was the freaking Fire Lord, for Agni's sakes!

The Earthbenders had sorted themselves to surround him, putting Zuko at even more of a disadvantage than he was already at. Smirking at the head Earthbender, he shifted his feet before letting out a ferocious attack that just skimmed over the back of the boy. However, it still did miss him and taking this as a sign to start the fight, he stepped forward and all of his friends followed his movements.

Zuko awaited the attack, but was stunned when he was thrown thirty feet in the air when the ground below him shot up. He fell and fell, but managed to break his fall, for the most part, with his fire. "Is that all you got?" he taunted, smirking, "Because if it is, then this is going to be easy."

"Oh, you haven't seen the best part of it yet," the head boy stepped out of the shadows, before running forward with his hands out, ready to fight.

~P~

Katara had run around the premise of the stone structure several times, somehow expecting Zuko to hear her. When she heard the sound of flames inside and the crushing of rocks, her throat clenched and her stomach flipped violently. She knew she was going to have to find the mayor or someone to stop the fight – running around from the outside was not going to do her any good.

As she reluctantly left the scene, she noticed that people were beginning to filter out of their homes now and gather around the structure. She ran past a frantic-looking woman, and she stopped, went back, and clutched the woman by the shoulders, shaking her with each word. "Where is the mayor? Where can I find him?" The woman pointed, frightened, down the street, and Katara nodded at her before releasing her.

Katara could hear the blood rushing in her ears as she fought against her legs' exhaustion to run faster. After running for a few impossibly long minutes, up ahead, she saw a large building, bigger than any of the others she had seen. Figuring it had to be the mayor's house, she took a chance and came crashing through the doors.

On the floor in front of her, two little girls shot up from their beds, eyes widening in shock. Beside them, an older man and woman also were sitting up, staring at Katara as if she were Koh.

Katara's voice was frantic as she asked, "Are you the mayor?"

The man noticed the urgency in her tone, and stood up. "Yes," he said authoritatively. "I am Mayor Toru. What can I do for you?"

Katara motioned outside, her arms flailing desperately. "T-there's a fight going on down the street – my friend is being attacked by some Earthbenders! Y-you have to help him!"

Mayor Toru's sleepy, green eyes widened, and he looked over to the other side of the room and Katara's eyes followed. Seeing it for the first time, Katara noticed that there was another bed setup on the right side of the room, but no one was in it. Toru cursed to himself, looked down at his wife and nodded, before running out the door. He motioned Katara to follow him, and she did so.

"Did you get a good look at the boy who started the issue?" the mayor asked as they ran.

"He... he had dark brown hair and bright green eyes," Katara told him, and when the mayor cursed again, she made the connection. The boy who had started the fight – the head boy – was the mayor's son.

When they made it to the scene, an even larger crowd had formed outside the rock walls. Toru and Katara pushed through it, and when they got to one of the walls, the Waterbender stood back as the mayor made complicated foot movements, causing the wall to slide back into the ground, and reveal the scene inside the structure.

Zuko was caught between two rocks, blood leaking from his bottom lip. Each of the boys was holding a large spike of earth in their hands, directed at the Fire Lord, and they were yelling at him.

"Think you're so tough now?"

"Pathetic!"

"We'll take good care of your girlfriend after you're gone!"

"Look, the mighty Fire Lord's at his feet!" called the mayor's son, who was holding the largest spike.

The mayor stepped forward, a terrifying look on his face. "MICHI!" he yelled at the boy, and his son turned around, a look of fright on his face.

"D-dad?"

"What the hell are you doing?" the mayor inquired. "Let that poor man go!"

"Dad, this kid is the Fire Lord – this is Fire Lord Zuko," Michi explained, thrusting his hand to Zuko, pain evident on his bruised face.

The mayor's face went from his son's to Katara's, who nodded. Swallowing, he spoke again. "I don't _care _who he is – let him go. Now."

"I'm sorry, father," Michi's grip on the spike tightened, and he stepped closer to Zuko, who tried to squirm free, but to no avail. Katara's heart thumped in her chest uncontrollably. Her eyes darted back and forth between the boy and a nearby water trough – she would use it if she needed to.

"Michi, put the spike down. I will—" Toru was cut off by his son.

"What will you do? I thought you would be proud of me – restoring our town's honour!" Michi cried.

"By killing someone?" Toru gave his son a thoroughly concerned look. "Your mother and I raised you better that this! You are not a murderer!"

At this point, his friends seemed to become clearer in the head, and realizing the consequences of their actions if they did, in fact, succeed in their task, dropped their spikes and backed away from Michi.

His eyes widening in anger, he growled out, "You traitors! I thought you were with me here!"

"I'm sorry, Michi," a black-haired boy said. "But like your father said – I'm not a murderer." His friends nodded in agreement with him.

"Whatever!" Michi cried, raising the spike higher and walking closer to Zuko. "I don't need you guys! I can do this on my own!" And just as he was about to plunge the rock dagger into Zuko's side, did a wave of water come crashing down on Michi, sending him flying into the rock wall, where the water then froze around him, holding him there steadfastly.

Unable to move his limbs, Michi could not break free of the ice. "Let me go!" he cried.

Toru and Katara walked closer to Zuko, and the mayor Earthbent the young man out of the vice grip of the stones before walking over to his son. Heaving heavily as his lungs filled with air, Zuko almost fell to the ground, but Katara grabbed him, gently lowering him to it. Katara held Zuko against her, hugging him tenderly and kissing his face and the cuts and bruises that covered it. "Oh, Zuko," she cried, feeling tears finally fall from her eyes. She collected some leftover water from the trough, and began to heal the various small cuts on his cheeks, scared of what she may find later under his clothes. "I-I..."

"Shh," he told her simply, smiling despite his apparent pain. "Please, don't cry."

"Like hell I won't," she said between sobs, "I was so scared for you, Zuko...!"

Opening his mouth like he was about to answer, the Fire Lord instead passed out, and in her panic, Katara began to shake him violently. "Zuko? Zuko! Wake up, wake up, wake up!" she cried.

Standing up slowly, she gently pulled Zuko up and onto her shoulder. She watched briefly as Toru and Michi had a small showdown.

"How could you disgrace Ai Basho so, Michi? How?" Toru asked his son quietly, on the verge of tears himself. Despite being such a burly man, he obviously had a soft spot for his family.

"I told you," the boy's voice was no longer cocky, but quiet like his father's, "it was for honour. I wanted to show you that I could bring back our village's honour, father."

His father said nothing at this point, he just shook his head. Turning around, he gave Katara a quick glance, and she nodded, waving her hand and letting the ice melt away. Michi fell to the ground, tears falling from his face. Katara almost pitied him – all he wanted to do was prove his honour, just like Zuko once had.

She watched as Toru walked back over to his son and he lifted him from the ground, locking him in a tight hug, which was quickly reciprocated. At this point, most of the crowd had dispersed, and Michi's friends had wandered back to their own respective homes.

Katara was caught up in the moment when she remembered Zuko's delicate condition, and she turned around frantically, wondering if she could see a clinic or a hospital sign in the distance, not wanting to disturb the mayor and his son at the moment.

When it seemed as though she couldn't find one, she saw some kind of movement out of the corner of her eye, and when she looked closer through the dark of the night, she saw that it was the mysterious woman from before waving at her. She was at the beginning of a different street, motioning down it.

Katara, figuring she had no other choice, walked Zuko and herself across the small expanse and to the beginning of the street where the woman was. "He's in bad shape," the woman commented, her voice calm and pretty.

"Very," Katara frowned noticeably.

"Follow me," the woman said again. "There's a clinic down here that you can take him to." The woman went to Zuko's other side and lifted him onto her shoulder, helping Katara carry him down the street. They passed by a few buildings before they arrived at the clinic, and when they walked inside, a woman on one side of its counter began to flit about. The mysterious woman took the other woman to the side, and in almost-silent whispers, they talked about things Katara couldn't hear. When they were done, the woman – who Katara assumed was the owner of the clinic – nodded before turning to Zuko and Katara.

"Let's bring him upstairs," she told Katara, and she motioned to the staircase. Nodding, Katara began to drag Zuko over to the aforementioned stairs, being extra careful with his bruised form. When she was a quarter of the way up, she turned around to see if she could catch the face of the mysterious woman and thank her, but like before, when she did so, the woman was nowhere to be found. Sighing, Katara came to the conclusion that thanking the mysterious lady was not her top priority then – it was Zuko.

A few seconds later, the clinic owner came up on Zuko's one side and helped Katara bring him up the stairs and into a large room with a few beds and lots of plants and flowers. She motioned towards a bed beside a window and she and Katara made their way there and placed the Fire Lord on it.

Nodding at his form, the woman walked away to go and get some medical supplies. Katara took a seat on a stool beside the bed and she sighed heavily upon her heartbeat calming down. She examined his form closer now, and was horrified to see a hole in his shirt that was stained red that she hadn't seen before.

Noticing there was a pitcher of water on the table beside the bed, Katara bent the water out of it and pulled away Zuko's shirt to reveal a rather nasty looking hole in his side. Gasping slightly, she placed the water against the massive wound, and placed a cool hand against his burning forehead when he began to struggle out of the feeling of his skin being healed. His face contorted out of discomfort and general pain, and she sighed, playing with his hair and petting it back, trying to soothe and calm him.

A sad look in her eyes, she kissed his moonlit face gently, which seemed to help his struggling just a bit. Sighing heavily, she went back to focussing solely on healing the gash on his side, frowning as her eyes caught sight of more and more cuts, bruises and soon-to-be scars.

"Oh, Zuko," she breathed, feeling a new surge of tears in her eyes. What was she ever going to do with that boy?

~P~

**Author's Notes: **I want to thank everybody who has reviewed this story! So, thank you, **JemiLover101****, Lollipopdiego, Ruby of Raven, Patty Cake Rocks, Not Needed, Moongirl22, Lilako,** and **Aaliyah92!** Thank each and every one of you! I really appreciate your guys' reviews~


	10. The Mysterious Woman

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Avatar.

~P~

_Chapter 10 – The Mysterious Woman_

~P~

Zuko woke up two days later, tossing and turning. His eyes opening slowly, they were introduced to the harsh light of the afternoon, and in attempt to drive it off, he flipped over to the other side, and was presented with a dozing Katara.

He blinked groggily at her before propping himself up painfully. His left side was especially sore, and when he pulled back the blanket to look at it, he was presented with it being bandaged up quite thoroughly. He then turned back to Katara, and noticed the utterly exhausted look on her face.

"She's been awake these past two days waiting for you to wake up yourself! She was clocking out a bit, though, so I told her that it would be okay if she took a bit of a nap – I'd wake her up if you came to."

Zuko was surprised by the voice of a woman behind him and he turned to see a middle-aged lady with black hair smiling at him, a watering can in her hands.

"O-oh," was all he said.

"Well, now that you're awake, I think that she'd actually prefer you waking her up, instead of myself." And with a nod, the woman left the two alone.

Staring at her sleeping form, Zuko wasn't quite sure about what to do. He was perfectly fine with waiting until she woke up, but at the same time, the woman had told him that Katara wanted to be awoken as soon as Zuko – if he did at all – had woken up himself.

Deciding against Katara's wishes, Zuko instead let her catch up on her sleep, just laying back down and staring at the ceiling blankly. She continued to snore away for another hour before she stirred. Brought back to the real world by her movement, Zuko sat up again and waited for her to fully come to.

Katara blinked a few times before wiping at her eyes. The second her eyes focussed on Zuko, did they widen and fill with noticeable tears.

"Zuko!"

Leaning over, she took the Fire Lord in her arms and squeezed him lightly, muttering incoherencies to him. He laughed at her reaction and lifted his sore, noodle-like arms to embrace her back, careful not to strain his torn-up side.

A few minutes passed before she retreated from the hug, her eyes still glistening. He opened his mouth to say something to her, but she cut him off.

"I-I was so worried about you – you have _no_ idea, Zuko," she told him hurriedly, holding his hands in her shaking ones. "At first I didn't think anything that serious was going to happen to you – but then those boys trapped you in that wall and I just... panicked. I didn't know what was going to happen to you!" She leaned into him again and between frustrated tears, she whispered into ear, "How could you be such an idiot? I-I-" Instead of saying anything, Zuko decided to let her vent. "I just... I broke down after that," she admitted.

"The lady told me that you've stayed up the past few days we've been here," Zuko told her.

"Of course, I did – I wasn't going to sleep until you woke up, but then, a few hours ago, I just began to drift off and—" She paused then and gave him a look. "Wait, were you up before me?" Zuko nodded and she had to resist slapping his arm. "Why didn't you wake me up, too? I was going—"

Zuko pulled her into another hug to prevent her from going off, and she melted into it. After a few long, long moments passed, she whispered into his ear, "I just care about you so much..."

Feeling his heartbeat pick up just a bit more at that, he responded back with, "I care about you, too, Katara."

Pulling back from the hug, he smiled at her and pulled her hair behind her ear. Despite how much his head hurt, his could still reason enough to know that they both wanted something to happen then, but Katara being Katara, she would not let it happen.

In a sudden burst of emotion, the Fire Lord felt as though he couldn't contain his feelings anymore. Taking her hand and intertwining their fingers, he looked down, refusing to make eye contact, and spoke his mind. "Katara, you know how I feel about you. You know that I like you... _a lot_. And I know I told you that I would wait as long as it would take for you to make up your mind, but..." He looked up at her then, and gave her an intense look, "...but I can't take this anymore! The way I feel about you is indescribable and I need you to fully understand that."

Katara's eyes were wide with raw emotion, taking in everything he was saying to her.

"I need you to understand that I... I think – no, I know – that _this_—" He leaned forward ever so slightly and his eyes darted from her mouth to her eyes and he brought his hand up to draw her face closer to his own, "—is not a mistake." And at that, he pressed his lips to hers tenderly.

At first he received no response, and his heart fell at this. But a few moments later, and Katara's lips were kissing his back with fervour. Quite quickly, the kiss went from gentle and contained to fiery and passionate. Zuko's hand went from her chin to behind her head, pressing her face closer to his. He was a bit surprised when she threw her tongue into the kiss, but he happily obliged.

A few minutes passed before the pair withdrew from the fuelled kiss, and when they did, they blinked at each other before turning away and blushing.

Zuko's mind was peacefully clear of any of the tension he had felt before – he had told her outright that he wanted to be with her and he was content now. Katara's, however, was running a mile a minute!

Her heart was racing, and her thoughts were a jumbled mess. She could no longer deny herself the fact – she wanted to be something more than just friends with Fire Lord Zuko. And that would be okay if she weren't already in a relationship with the Avatar! And she knew that while she loved Zuko, she loved Aang, as well...

Zuko touched her hand then, and her head snapped up to look at him. His eyes were gentle and he was smiling at her, a genuine, charming smile that made her heart soar. He was waiting for a reaction from her, something that gave him the a-okay.

That one touch was enough for her – she knew she didn't have to make a choice right then and there. What she needed to focus on now was not Aang, but Zuko. She needed – and wanted – to build something with Zuko. She wanted to explore these newfound feelings for him and grow a relationship with him. That's what mattered to her right now – just enjoying her time with this boy and her feelings for him.

And so, with a thunderously beating heart and a smile on her lips, did Katara lean over and give the Fire Lord another sweet kiss, reassuring herself that right then, they were the only thing that mattered to the other.

~P~

The next few days were spent with Katara gathering as much information on the mysterious lady and just Ai Basho in general, while Zuko slept. He wanted to help her, but she wouldn't allow it in his delicate condition.

It turned out, though, that no one in town knew who she was talking about – Katara figured so. The woman was like the Painted Lady – no one saw her, but they knew she was there. What was even odder, Katara found, was that the end of each day, when she returned to the clinic to see Zuko, did he mumble on and on about the mysterious woman coming to visit him.

On their sixth day there, Katara decided to pay attention to his sleepy mumblings – she came back to the clinic earlier than usual, and actually saw the woman exiting the room hurriedly. Determined to stop her and talk to her, Katara put her hand out in front of her to signal the woman to stop walking.

"Hey, um, I wanted to talk to you," the Waterbender began, but the woman just scooted right past her, her face covered by her sugegasa. She didn't stop to even acknowledge Katara, who stood there, dumbfounded. The woman blatantly knew by this point that Katara wanted to speak with her, and yet she still ignored her!

Huffing and walking into the room, she saw Zuko smiling contently at the ceiling. "Th-that woman!" she stuttered, "She won't even acknowledge me! All I want to do is talk to her!"

"She's nice," was all the Fire Lord said in return, turning over to Katara. "I... don't know who she is – but she reminds me of my mother."

Something clicked in Katara's mind then, but she didn't say anything. Rushing over to his bag, which was placed on the table at the end of his bed, she ruffled through it and found the picture of Ursa. "Do you mind if I borrow this?"

"Not at all," Zuko gave her a curious look and sat up. "But... why?"

"You'll see," she gave him a smile before walking up to him and giving him a quick, but reassuring kiss. He smiled back at her, and she made her way to the door then.

"I really appreciate this, Katara."

The Waterbender stopped at the door when she heard this, and she turned around to give him a soft look, which was returned, before exiting the room again.

~P~

"Do you recognize this woman?"

Katara held up the picture of Ursa in front of the store owner, who nodded.

"Yes, of course," he smiled toothily. "She's a regular customer! She comes by here every week."

Katara's entire face brightened. "D-do you know her name, by any chance?"

"Kuma," the man answered. "Her name is Kuma."

Katara gave him a strange look, complete with a raised eyebrow. "You're sure?"

"I'm sure. She's been living here for years, and that's the name she's been going by the entire time!" he told her matter-of-factly.

Sighing, Katara gave him a grateful smile. "Thank you."

He nodded at her, and she walked away. It just... didn't make sense to her. Clearly, Ursa was somewhere in the village – or someone who looked a hell of a lot like her. But, according to these villagers, this woman was named Kuma, not Ursa.

As Katara walked down the narrow streets of Ai Basho, she figured the only way this would make sense is if Ursa had changed her name, which, now that the Waterbender thought about it, was completely plausible. She had run away from Ozai and, under no conditions, did she want to be found. So, naturally, she changed her name. Katara couldn't believe she didn't realize this up until that point!

But Katara couldn't – and didn't – dwell on this fact for long, because she was undeniably happy at the fact that people recognized Ursa's photo! Fourteen people in the last two hours had identified Ursa as someone they either knew or had seen on a frequent basis, and she knew that if Zuko was there with her, that even he would be hopping up and down in glee, which the Waterbender herself had to keep from doing.

Walking down the street, she debated whether or not she wanted to go back and tell Zuko of this news or if she should wait to find out even more information, like a location. Deciding against going back, she kept travelling down the road, humming along out of sheer happiness at the situation. However, her peaceful attitude was destroyed when she saw a certain Earthbender and company walk up beside her.

"Um, hey," Michi said, hands behind his back as his eye bore holes in the ground. His much more cowardly friends were hiding behind him.

Katara didn't even bother to stop or turn to him, just kept walking. "What do you want?" she huffed, crossing her arms.

"I, uh," the boy was wringing his hands, still refusing to make eye contact with her, "I – all of us, actually – wanted to apologize for what we did to Zuko a few days ago."

Katara stopped then and turned to them, glaring. "Why don't you apologize to Zuko directly, then?"

Michi and his friends stopped, bumping into each other. "Well, he's not here... and I know that going after him did a number on you, too. I'm sorry for scaring you like I did and forcing you to get my father involved." He gave her an honest, pleading look. "I really, really am. I wasn't in the right mind – I was just so angry at, well, anyone and everyone Fire Nation. Somehow, for some stupid reason, I thought going after Zuko would help make up for something that his father did. I was trying to uphold the honour of my village, but I just ended up destroying it."

From behind him, several murmurs and "I'm sorry!"s were said, and despite wanting to remain angry at Michi, Katara's eyes travelled to his pained green ones, and she felt her resolve slip a bit. Like the night it had happened, she pitied him because his situation was so similar to Zuko's, and she had forgiven him! So, could she find it in herself to forgive this boy, who was so alike to the Fire Lord?

"It's... okay," she admitted, feeling her shoulders slumping and a small smile forming on her face.

Michi breathed out a sigh of relief, and she noticed that his entire was red from the lack of oxygen he had given himself while waiting for her answer. "Thank you," he said quietly. At this point, his four friends involved in the incident began to filter off until it was just him and Katara. "I really am sorry. I know I just seem like an idiotic guy to you, but I'm not usually like that."

"I believe you," she told him, and leaning over, she whispered in his ear, "and don't tell Zuko I told you this, but you two are more alike than either of you think." She retreated, and wanted to laugh at the look on Michi's face.

Despite what his face said, the boy did not comment on what she had told him. Shaking his head, he bit his lip. "I guess... I'll apologize to Zuko later." Katara nodded at him. Smiling, he began to break off from her. "Bye now, Katara."

"See you," she waved back at him. Walking off down the street then with a new bounce in her step, she made her way to the next shop eagerly, counting down the minutes until she could tell Zuko about what she had discovered.

~P~

A few hours had passed, but Katara's excitement about the situation had not faded even one bit. She raced up the staircase hastily, and waltzed in the room, beaming.

"What's up with you?" Zuko gave her a look, smiling at her dreamy expression.

Sitting down on the stool and taking his hands in hers, she spoke each of her word a mile a minute, it seemed. "You will not believe what I've found out about your mother," she breathed, and his eyes widened exponentially. "I took that picture of her and showed it around, and _so _many people recognized her, Zuko. She's here – your mother's here in Ai Basho."

The Fire Lord was understandably speechless. He just sat there, eyes bright and wide, as he tried to process and fathom the information that Katara had just given him. And when he did, his entire being was filled with such a flooding of encouragement and happiness and just _love_. Everything he felt was just so powerful right then and his elation showed on his face in the form of the possibly the world's biggest smile.

Leaning over, he captured Katara in a bone-crushing hug, burying himself in her neck. "Thank you, thank you, thank you, Katara," he whispered. "You-you've managed to do something in a few days that I've been dwelling on for months now – dammit, thank you. I know this sounds stupid... but there is literally no way for me to express how I feel right now. All I can say, is that you've made me so, so happy. And I hope that I can make you this happy one day, too."

Pulling back and placing her hands on his shoulders, she just stared at him and his on-cloud-nine expression. Next, she took his hands in hers and squeezed them. "Like I said, Zuko – I'd do anything for you. You deserve this more than you know."

Leaning forward then, Zuko closed the gap in between them and kissed her sweetly. It was a kiss that was filled with such happiness that it simply exuded it, and the Waterbender participated whole-heartedly in it. Retreating from the kiss, Zuko then kissed her nose and let out a small chuckle, and shortly afterwards, the room began to chime with the quiet, gentle, grateful laughter of the two.

Placing her forehead against his, she quickly pulled away when she felt the heat emanating from it. "Your forehead," she said quickly, placing her hand to it and feeling its warmth. "It's hot, Zuko." She gave him a concerned look, but the Fire Lord wouldn't have it.

"I'm fine, stop worrying," he took her hand off his forehead and kissed it gently. "I'm a Firebender, and I just got exciting news. It's a natural reaction, isn't it?" He gave her a bright look, trying to faze her out of her motherly mindset, but she still had the same look on her face from before.

"I don't know..." she murmured, turning away.

"Katara, I feel fine, I swear," Zuko was pleading with her now, his eyes begging her not to disrupt the perfectly happy atmosphere of the room.

Sighing, Katara smiled at him. "Okay. I guess your logic makes sense." Despite agreeing to his theory, though, she still had a gut feeling that he was getting a bit ill. But she, quite honestly, couldn't bring herself to break down his elation with something as trivial as arguing with him over it.

Taking her in his arms, he lifted her into the bed with him and laid them both down, and Katara was careful to avoid his injury. Pulling her close and giving her an intense, but curious look, he asked, "So, what did you find out about my mother, in particular?"

Smiling at his eagerness, she settled into the comfy bed and into his warm arms, and began to explain the extent of her findings to the Fire Lord.

~P~

Flipping over on his side, the Fire Lord groaned and curled together. He felt overheated even for being a Firebender, and though he knew Katara was correct about him having contracted a fever, he refused to believe it at first.

Katara, who had drifted off in the bed along with him, was stirred awake by his moving, and she blinked tiredly at him. "You're up early," she told him, rubbing at her eyes.

He didn't say anything in response, just grumbled. Noticing he seemed off, she put a hand on his shoulder and tried to get him to face her. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"Go away," he complained bitterly.

Frowning, she sat up slightly and noticed his reddened face. Placing her hand on her forehead, she quickly pulled it back at the intense heat it emanated. Pulling herself out of the bed now, Zuko grumbled once again in protest to leaving him, but the Waterbender paid him no mind as she sat down and gave him a look. "You have a fever," she told him bluntly. "I _told _you, you were going to get sick."

"I'm not really in the mood for a lecture, as you can tell," the Fire Lord told her, irritated. His head was pounding uncontrollably and her voice was ten times louder in his mind than it actually was.

"This is something my healing abilities can't, well, heal. We'll just have to get you some medication for it," Katara sighed. If only he had allowed her to take some preventative measures last night, but no... really, though, could she blame him? She was telling him life-changing news at the time.

"Okay," Zuko whined, pulling the pillow over his head. He wanted all of the light and noise in the world to die right then so he could just sleep!

Noticing how much pain he was in, she leaned over and gave him a gentle hug. "I'll stay here for as long as it takes until you get better." As soon as Katara said this, while she didn't regret it, she did remember that she was going to check the west side of town – the only part she hadn't explored – and where Turtleduck Waterfall was located.

"No," the Fire Lord told her quickly, forcefully. "You've got better things to do than just sit here while I mope."

"I want to stay here with you, though, Zuko," she told him with a smile. "Gotta make sure the Fire Lord stays in tip top shape, huh?"

"Do whatever you need to, Katara," he whispered, keeping his voice down to the lowest octave possible. "All I'm going to do is sleep – so please, go off and do what you need to."

"Zuko, I—"

"Don't argue with a sick man!" he cracked a pained smile.

Giving him a long, hard stare, she crossed her arms then and huffed. "Fine! Jeez, you're so stubborn sometimes."

"Same to you," he answered back, his eyes dancing jollily despite his sensitive condition.

Giving him another look, she finally broke it in favour of collecting up a few things into a bag that she would take into town. Leaning over, she hugged him and smiled. "I'll be back in a bit," she told him quietly.

Mumbling in response, Zuko flipped back over to facing the window.

Shaking her head at him, she left the room and went to town, determined to visit Turtleduck Waterfall that day.

~P~

After asking around a bit, Katara received directions to Turtleduck Waterfall and promptly made her way there. Walking down the long, dirt path, though, she felt as though it was taking forever, and she wondered briefly if she had taken a wrong turn somewhere. When she heard running water a few yards away, though, she shook her head and her feet began to pick up pace.

Quickly, the Waterbender came to large meadow, an intimidating mountain to its side. There were blooming flowers everywhere, and they were an array of colors, though they were mostly red and blue. From somewhere at the top of the mountain, there was a river, as multiple waterfalls were falling down over its crags and edges. Though most of the waterfalls were small and unnoticeable when they hit over certain areas, one of them – the main, and Turtleduck Waterfall – came crashing down in the large pond in the center of the spacious meadow. Behind the Waterfall were little caves in which Katara figured the Turtleducks would hide if need be. The scene was tranquil, and she took a few moments to just take in the view.

As she walked out of the trees of the forest and closer to the clear pond, she noticed a few hundred feet away a small house built beside a bed of craggy rocks. It was well-sized and terribly quaint, what with colourful flowers adorning its sides and a small yard jutting off to its right. Behind the house were a few more buildings and a large fence enclosure, leading Katara to believe it was owned by a local farmer, who didn't appear to be home at the moment. Smiling to herself, Katara thought about how beautiful a place this must be to live, before continuing on to the pond.

Kneeling down to the water, she looked around and was saddened not to see any of the Waterfall's namesake waterfowl around. However, despite this, the scenery was enough to make her glad she came.

The bright midday sun was illuminating the entire field and it made Katara feel warm inside, but when she turned around and admired the premise once again, she felt a little pang in her chest at the fact that Zuko had to spend all of his time inside on such a lovely day. It didn't seem quite fair to her, and she figured—

"Quack!"

The Waterbender's thoughts were halted by a high-pitched noise, and her heart stopped just a bit. She turned around ever-so-slowly, and blinked at the source of the sound. Sitting in the water, blinking curiously at her, was a pair of baby Turtleducks, in all their fluffy newness. Katara, in turn, blinked back at the little things, her heart pounding. There were Turtleducks there in Ai Basho – there weren't _supposed _to be Turtleducks in Ai Basho!

Reaching forward slightly, moving as though she were going to touch one of them, Katara was met with another shrill quack and then the smaller of the two swam forward, nudging just slightly against her hand, wanting attention. Katara giggled as it continued to nuzzle against her hand affectionately, while the other baby became somewhat jealous and began quacking up a storm behind the other, before swimming forward and trying to push the other away in an attempt to get some of its own attention.

Getting distracted by the younger Turtleducks, Katara then shook her head to snap herself back into reality, and while still petting the two lightly, she squinted and tried to examine the caves behind the Waterfall to see if there were any other Turtleducks around. She strained her eyes, but after a good five minutes of looking around, she sighed, her efforts fruitless. She knew that these two Turtleducks were only ones around – and probably the first in a while.

Spending a few more minutes with the Turtleducklings, Katara then stood up and decided she should go check up on Zuko – maybe, if he was feeling well enough, he could even come with her so she could show him the Falls and how beautiful they were. Smiling sadly to herself, feeling disappointed in the lack of Turtleducks, she gave the two little Turtleducklings a cute look before walking off back into town.

~P~

After the clinic owner – whom Zuko noted, he did not know the name of – had given him some medicine and he had slept a bit more, the Fire Lord still felt horrible, and he couldn't stop turning back and forth in his bed. In fact, he had gotten progressively worse. His vision was now blurred and he couldn't make out objects that clearly, and his judgement of his surroundings was impaired because of this.

As he flipped over for the umpteenth time, this time facing the window, he heard the sound of footsteps behind him, reverberating in the back of his mind painfully. Hoping that they were Katara, he forced himself to turn then, but instead of the Waterbender, he was instead presented with the same mysterious woman who had been periodically visiting him those past few days. He groaned at the sight of her, his vision doubling.

The woman frowned at him, before sitting down and touching the Fire Lord's face gently. He couldn't make out her face, like all the other times – she was wearing a sugegasa, which blocked any chance of anyone seeing her features. But this time, she slowly removed the hat from her head, but still the Fire Lord couldn't put her face together accurately. He saw that she had sprawling, glossy hair, and a sad smile on her face, but beyond that, nothing was clear to him.

She spoke then. "My dearest child," she whispered sweetly, the sound welcome to Zuko's ears. It was so... familiar. "I have enjoyed these past few days that I have spent with you – it's been so wonderful to see you again. But—" Her tone noticeably dropped, "—I am afraid this is the last time you will see me after today. Your... friend has been quite persistent in her searching, has she not? Well, now that I am known, I cannot risk staying here any longer – these people can't know who I am, my dear. I will be leaving soon – within the week. Please, do not try to search for me." Standing up then, the woman bent down and placed a kiss on Zuko's warm forehead, before patting it. "I love you. Goodbye."

Zuko, having clearly heard every word, strained his eyes to catch a good look at the woman. His heart was beating relentlessly. For a few short seconds, his eyes focussed, and he caught a glimpse of her and his previously pounding heart stopped. Blinking as if to reassure he wasn't hallucinating, he rasped out, "M-mother?" His mind became clearer then, despite his fear and uncertainty then. "You're... you're my mother," he stated, surer of himself than he had been in years. Despite being feverish, he knew he wasn't wrong in his conjecture.

The woman's hand stopped caressing his face then, tensing. Pulling it back into her robes sharply, she gave him one last look and a sad smile before placing her sugegasa back on her head and exiting the room without further words.

The moment had left Zuko so flustered that he didn't even try to stop her – not that he could. Clutching the bed sheets with his sweating his hands, his mind once again fell into a feverish stupor, and he felt frustrated – frustrated at the fact that now that she had finally revealed herself in the world, that he couldn't even attempt to stop his mother.

Despite himself, the Fire Lord felt tears to match his mood well up in his eyes and fall down his face. He was just so tired of this game that he had been put through for the past five years of his life! Feeling weak and pathetic, he turned on his side and grumbled to himself, wanting desperately for sleep to seize him, but instead, as his luck as of late would have it, he wasn't given the luxury. At least he could hope to vent to the Waterbender upon her arrival back...

~P~

Walking up the stairs of the clinic, Katara was careful to be quiet as she opened the squeaky door to the room where Zuko was. Noticing him laying down, she proceeded to be silent.

"I'm awake, you know."

Katara stopped sneaking about at the sound of his voice, and relaxed her tensed form. "Oh." She smiled at him from across the room before sitting down. "Feeling any better?"

"No," he told her truthfully. He turned then, and gave her a distraught look. "I-I'm not."

Placing a hand on his head, she gave him a peculiar look. "You're not burning up anymore. Are you sure? I mean—"

"No, Katara." He sat up, distressed. "S-something happened. Something serious." He took her hand then.

Becoming scared by his tone of voice, Katara gripped it back tightly. "What happened, Zuko? Please, tell me," she frowned at him.

"The woman – the odd one who kept coming around here. When you were gone, she came and visited me again. But this time, unlike the others, she removed her sugegasa – and... she's... my mother. She's Ursa, Katara." Zuko inhaled painfully then, and Katara could see the hopelessness in his eyes. Squeezing his hand to encourage him to continue, he did so. "Then she left after I recognized her. She got scared and ran off and I don't know where she went an-and—"

"Calm down," Katara told him quietly, leaning forward and hugging him. "Please, Zuko. Don't get worked up over this or you won't be able to think straight." However, Katara even had to admit she was freaking out a bit. The more she thought about it, the more sense it made. The mysterious woman had visited Zuko frequently for a reason – to see her son. And everyone around town had no idea who the sugegasa-wearing woman was, but knew perfectly well of a woman who looked like Ursa named Kuma, who didn't turn up all too often around town, anyway. It all made sense to the Waterbender now.

Though flustered, she looked and smiled brightly at him. "You've found your mother, Zuko," she stated to him obviously, hoping that the true happiness of the situation would dawn on him and that he would stop being so upset.

"But she's gone," he told her bluntly, and Katara's face fell. "She told me that she's 'been revealed' and that she has to leave Ai Basho nearly immediately."

At that being said, Katara knew that she'd have to work fast if she was going to prevent Ursa from leaving. She had come this far for Zuko, and she wasn't going to stop now! Squeezing his hand again and giving him a reassuring nod, she said, "Don't worry. I'll figure it out, I promise." Standing up, she released his hand and placed a kiss atop his forehead, before exiting the room and walking down the stairs again.

There was only one other person that she hadn't really talked to about the mysterious woman. It was the owner of the clinic. In the entire time that she and Zuko had been there, she hadn't even caught the kind woman's name, but one thing she did catch was that she was friends – or appeared to be – with the mysterious woman. Katara had seen the clinic owner talking with the woman, and she knew if anyone in the town knew who she was or where she was, it was her. And so the Waterbender made her way to the main floor of the clinic to find the woman.

To her luck, she was standing in the small entrance of the building, sweeping at the wooden boards and humming happily.

"Um, hey," Katara called at the woman, a bit embarrassed.

The woman stopped and turned around, giving the Waterbender a look before smiling. "Oh, hello."

Stepping forward, Katara held out her hand to the woman. "I'm sorry – I haven't introduced myself or my friend in the last few days we've been here. I'm Katara, and he's Zuko."

"Oh, I know," the woman nodded her head, and Katara gave her a look. "The news of your boyfriend's fight with the mayor's boy is the most action this sleepy little town has seen in a while. It spread around pretty quickly, and along with it, your names." Katara blinked at the woman. It only made sense! "Well," the woman placed the broomstick against the wall and took Katara's hand in hers, shaking it. "I'm San."

"Nice to meet you, San," Katara smiled back at the woman. At that point, Katara wasted no time in asking what she wanted. "I was wondering, San... are you friends with the woman who keeps coming back here?"

San laughed then. "Who? Kuma?" Katara's eyes brightened, and she nodded. "Yes! She's a good friend – in fact, we share a home on the outskirts of the Turtleduck Waterfall." Katara blinked then – so Ursa was living the house across from the pond? Who would have guessed! Reaching into her pocket next, Katara awkwardly held up a picture of Ursa to San. "I know this is an odd question, but... does Kuma look anything like this?"

San blinked at the picture and gave Katara an odd look before nodding. "Yes – that's her! But why is she dressed up in Fire Nation garb? Ah, whatever. That's her. That's Kuma, alright!"

Katara had to resist smiling like a crazy person at all of these findings. "Last question... do... do you think you could take Zuko and I to see her?" San gave her yet another look, and Katara knew she had to come up with an excuse. "He... he wants to thank her, personally, for keeping him company while I was out these past few days. Do you think we could do that?"

San nodded. "I don't see why not. We can go tomorrow, when your boyfriend's in a bit better shape."

Katara, not being able to hold herself back, leaped forward and snatched up San in a hug, taking the clinic owner aback. "Thank you so, so much," Katara whispered, becoming emotional despite barely knowing the woman.

San patted Katara on the back. "U-um," she started awkwardly. "Y-you're welcome, Katara."

Releasing her then, the Waterbender smiled at her again before bolting towards the stairs excitedly, rushing up them to go and tell Zuko, leaving the confused clinic owner standing there wondering just wanted had happened.

~P~

Luckily, the next morning, Zuko was feeling much better, and after learning what Katara had set up, he spent the majority of the day figuring out how he was going to confront his mother; however, nothing he thought up seemed to fit the occasion.

That night, Katara, Zuko, and San ate dinner together, with the Fire Lord jittering about the entire time. It took a few gentle touches from Katara, but he eventually calmed down enough to sort out his flustered thoughts.

When the time came for San to lock up the clinic and for them all to take off to her and "Kuma's" house, though, Zuko once again felt as though everything was happening both too quickly and too slowly – it was all too much for the young Fire Lord. But as they walked along the silent roads of Ai Basho and down the paths that lead to Turtleduck Waterfall, Katara took the young man's hand and gave him such a loving look that his entire being was once again became serene, and this time, stayed this way.

San observed the couple from afar, smiling to herself at their interactions. Every interaction between them was gentle and caring, but still so young that they blushed at certain things and were sheepish at moments. She found it endearing how they held hands and never seemed to take their eyes of each other – but only when the other was looking away. It reminded the clinic owner of her own first love...

When they got to the field, Zuko peered around in amazement. The sky looked as though it were lit on fire because of the mixing of dusk and the midday sun, leaving the flowers looking particularly lovely. Walking over to the pond, Zuko looked across it and said, "Wow."

Katara giggled at him before walking over and taking his hand again, making his cheeks redden. Leaning over, he picked a blue flower from the ground and placed in her hair, and in response, the Waterbender collected two red flowers and placed them behind each of his ears. San had to suppress a laugh and instead shook her head when she saw Zuko's face flush when Katara leaned over and placed a kiss on his lips. He was about to kiss Katara back when he remembered San was with them, and he turned and gave her an awkward look, which caused the clinic owner to finally let out a chuckle along with the Waterbender, who squeezed his hand. The scene caused the Firebender to blush even brighter, and he hid his face, thoroughly embarrassed.

A few more moments passed of Zuko and Katara teasing at each other and admiring the environment before San pointed into the distance. "Ah, there it is!" Zuko looked up then and noticed the house the clinic owner was motioning to, and he felt his previously calm state once again fly out the window and his stomach twist violently. Noticing his expression change, Katara smiled and nodded at him.

Swallowing, he continued on with Katara, clutching to her hand. She smiled – this was going to be a powerful moment for him, and she was glad she got to share it with him.

It took an excruciatingly long time, according to Zuko, to get to the house. Upon arriving, San stopped and held out her hands to them, smiling. "You two stand here, and I'll go check if Kuma's here." Katara nodded, and San entered the house and left them there alone.

As soon as San left, Zuko's breath became fast and uneven. Looking over at him, Katara kissed his cheek. "Hey, it's going to be okay," she told him, "I promise – she wants this as much as you do, Zuko." Nodding, he leaned over and hugged her closely, before pecking her on the lips.

"You know how I feel, Katara – I feel so indebted and grateful to you. I owe you so much," he told her truthfully. He opened his mouth to speak again, but was cut off by a voice coming from the back of the house. Tensing, Katara noticed, he turned to the look in the direction of the voice, before gripping Katara's hands and pulling her to the side yard of the house. He whispered, "That's her." Katara's heart welled up with emotion, while Zuko's heart was beating wildly, so loud he believed Katara could hear it.

They continued walking into the yard until they saw a woman – _the _woman – humming along and hanging up clothes on a clothesline. Zuko let go of Katara's hand then, and took a shaky step forward.

Hearing the dry grass behind her crack, Ursa turned around, a smile on her features, her eyes closed. "Oh, Sa—" the former-Fire Princess's voice stopped when he eyes fell on the man before her. Tears noticeably began to fall from them, and she whispered his name. "Z-Zuko..."

"Mother!" the Fire Lord pointed at the woman, but then his voice fell several octaves, and he whispered her name just like she had, "M-mom..." The pair kept their distance for a few seconds, but soon Ursa could not resist the tension strung between herself and her son any longer, and she dropped the clothes in her hands and launched herself forward, embracing Zuko tightly, tears falling from her face as she sobbed into his shoulders.

Zuko's arms were held slightly above his mother as she hugged him, but it wasn't long before he too hugged her back, tears dripping down his face.

Katara stood there, holding a hand to her heart and feeling her own eyes well up. Her heart was soaring along with Zuko's, and it occurred to her that she had never felt so much love and happiness at one time in her life. Biting her lips, her eyes began to water visibly along with the others.

"Kuma, is that you?"

San walked out of the back of the house and onto the porch, and blinked, thoroughly confused, at seeing Ursa – or Kuma, to her – embracing the Fire Lord. "W-what's going on here?" she walked over to Katara, who turned her and the clinic owner away from the scene and whispered to her the general gist of the circumstances.

It seemed to be too much for the clinic owner, who was incredulous to it all. "S-so, K-Kuma is th-the mother of F-Fire Lord Zuko?" she motioned over her shoulder to the pair, Ursa now mumbling nonsense to her son, who couldn't stop hugging her. Katara nodded, and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry – you don't have to have to fully grasp it all quite yet," Katara reassured her. "There's a lot more information than what I just told you." San simply swallowed and nodded, and Katara kind of felt bad for her, regretting what she had just said. Everything that Ursa, or Kuma to San, had told the clinic owner, was suddenly a lie and a new story had been fabricated in its place. But right now, it wasn't about either San or Katara or the story behind the happenings right then – it was all about Zuko and Ursa.

At that, the pair turned around, and San's confusion transformed as she watched the tearfully happy reunion. Eventually, Ursa and Zuko pulled apart.

"I missed you so much," Zuko cried.

Ursa's hand reached up and wiped away his tear. "I missed you, too, my not-so little Firebender." Zuko barely managed a weak laugh at that comment, before giving her another quick hug. Ursa, who now had her eyes opened, looked at Katara and San. Pulling back, she motioned to Katara. "Who is that, if I may ask, Zuko?"

Smiling at her, Zuko pulled back and walked over to Katara, taking her hands. When she looked hesitant and pulled away, he gave her a reassuring look, like she had to him before, and brought her over, causing San to walk closer to the group.

"Mother," Zuko put a hand on the small of Katara's back and held her closely. "This is Katara. She's the Princess of the Southern Water Tribe, one of the heroes who helped end the war, and she saved my life. She found you for me, too. I wouldn't be here with you – or at all – without the help of the woman." His eyes sparkled at Katara, revealing more than what he had said about her and Ursa caught how he looked at her, and smiled.

Taking her hands, Ursa smiled meekly at the Waterbender. "You are quite the detective, young lady," she told her, causing Katara to blush. "And I am honoured to be in your presence. Thank you ever so much for helping bring my son to me again – I know that neither of us will ever truly be able to repay you, but I hope that you can take my word for how appreciative I am of you, Princess Katara."

"You can just call me Katara, your majesty," Katara began to bow the ex-Fire Princess, but she stopped her.

"And you can call me Ursa," she smiled, and then looked behind her and San giving her a strange look. She gave her a sympathetic look – she knew that San wasn't going to be able to adjust to calling her Ursa instead of Kuma.

Letting go of Katara's hand, she went to her friend, hugging the woman tightly. "Oh, San," she gave her a sad look. "I'm so sorry for everything you've just been put through! I—"

"No, no," San waved her hands out in front of her. "I'm just happy that you and Zuko found each other in the first place – we can go over the details later. But... but for now, let's just enjoy _this_." Ursa smiled at her friend, and squeezed her tightly in a hug. San was the best friend she had ever had – she much so much nicer than all the old, stuffy Fire Nation noblewoman she used to have to be around!

Pulling out of the hug and looking back over at Zuko and Katara, who were looking at each other adoringly, Ursa motioned them over and they complied. Wrapping her arms around the lot of them, the four of them just stood there in the perfect silence of the situation, embracing each other.

The silence was broken though, when from behind them, a swell of noise began to come from the pond, and they all turned to see a slew of Turtleducks fly out of the caves of the Waterfall, out of the dips and cliffs of the mountain, and from the trees. They all landed in the water, chirping and chattering away happily at each other.

Hands flying to her mouth, Ursa's eyes filled with tears again and she let them fall freely.

Katara looked up at Zuko, blinking at him. "They... they're here. It's like they were waiting, Zuko... for the moment you would find your mother."

The Fire Lord turned to her then, and kissed her deeply, pulling her right against him. Katara was surprised by the sudden action, but she easily wrapped her arms around his neck and participated in it. Ursa, who had been observing the Turtleducks, turned then, and noticed her son's lip lock with the Waterbender, her eyes wide out of her own surprise, but she quickly smiled at the scene.

Retreating from the kiss, Zuko smiled softly at Katara, his amber eyes boring into hers. His hands intertwined with hers then, and as he leaned down again, his lips were caught in yet another gentle kiss that Katara initiated. Aware of the fact they were being watched, more so by San than Ursa now, who had turned away to give him some privacy to her son, the pair parted, but kept close and still held hands.

Ursa then started to walk forward, and she turned around and smiled brightly at them all. "Let's go see them," she motioned to the Turtleducks enthusiastically, who were still quacking about excitedly. Turning eagerly, Ursa made her way over the pond, and the other three followed.

Upon her arrival, all the Turtleducks began to gather at Ursa's feet, making an incessant amount of racket, but she just giggled at them, before smiling. "I haven't seen a Turtleduck in years," she admitted, sighing while leaning down and petting a baby one. "They're just as cute as I remember."

Zuko looked over the pond, before smiling at Katara.

"I guess we got to see them, after all," she whispered, leaning her head on his shoulder.

"Yeah," he agreed, his voice soft. He felt so strongly about so many things right then – his overwhelming love for Katara, finding his mother, the sudden arrival of the Turtleducks... it was all so much for him, and yet he would have it no other way. He didn't know what his Uncle was talking about when he called the trip a tragedy – everything had been so great for Zuko (mostly) up until that point. He wouldn't change a thing! Squeezing her hand, he pulled Katara into his arms, where she gladly stay.

Standing up, Ursa took hold of Zuko's one free hand and the San's hand, squeezing both. "I'm so glad that I am sharing this moment with the people I love," she admitted honestly. At that, all of them looked out to into the pond, a sudden peaceful, comfortable silence casting over them.

Snuggling into Zuko's warm chest, Katara could hear his steady, strong heartbeat and looked up at him, and he caught her gaze, giving her a powerful look. "See, Zuko," she whispered, "all it took was a little hope and love."

"That's for sure," he smiled genuinely at her before placing his lips against hers again, and she smiled against them, relishing the feeling. And Katara knew then, that Zuko was right – all it took for _them _was a little hope and love, too.

~P~

**Author's Notes: **Sappy as hell, but, hey, that's me.

I'm not really good with keeping "mysterious" aspects to stories, so all of you probably saw this a mile away! But it's the best my mind could come up with – I'm not Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, now!

Also, some name etymology... Kuma means "bear" in Japanese, so I thought it was a fitting cover up name for Ursa, and San's name... I got it from Mononoke, to be honest. I love the film (however freaky it may be) to death!

Also – TEN CHAPTERS AND FORTY THOUSAND WORDS IN JUST ONE MONTH! BOOYAH! I totally never thought I could do that – but I did! I'm so happy!

Lastly, I think I should clarify about Michi - he's not meant to be an insane character, I promise. Just angry, at least at the time. Normally, he's a pleasant young man to be around! It's just that one time last chapter he kind of went... murderous.

Well, that's enough regarding Author's Notes! Be seeing you!


	11. Kin

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Avatar. *baw*

~P~

_Chapter 11 – Kin_

~P~

After the day that Zuko had been reunited with his mother, he and Katara began to stay in San and Ursa's home instead of the clinic. The first few days were tender and awkward between Ursa and Zuko as they caught up, but as they did so, they gradually became more emotionally attached, and soon their interactions weren't nearly so forced or odd. San continued to call Ursa "Kuma", which the ex-Fire Princess assured her was okay, and Katara got to know Zuko's mother a bit, too. The more time she spent talking to the woman, the more she saw her in Zuko.

She and Zuko were incredibly affectionate, as well. He was always giving her these adoring looks, or holding her hand, or just kissing her. And Katara wasn't the only one who noticed this – like before, Ursa observed these actions when they were in her presence. She was incredibly overjoyed that Zuko, for once, was happy, himself. He was always smiling around the Waterbender, almost glowing. This young woman brought him great joy, but at the same time, Ursa wondered what his intentions with Katara were. What had happened to Mai, she wondered? The last time she had seen her son, he had been enamoured with the knife-thrower, when they were only thirteen. She wanted to know if Zuko was being serious with Katara, or if she was just a joke to him, someone he could mess around with for the time being.

Ursa remembered a few years into her marriage with Ozai, before they had Zuko, when he was first beginning to become cruel, and how she had to deal with some of his angry concubines. The one thing she hated about being married to the Fire Prince was that she was not supposed to be her own husband's main source of pleasure or even love – according to Fire Nation ideals, a marriage was a union of political opportunities, not something done out of love. That's what concubines were for – sexual acts, toying with. And every once in a while, when Ozai would dump one without warning, did they come running furiously to the palace gates, screeching at Ursa for her husband's nasty acts.

And despite how Ursa detested them for their philandering with her husband, she couldn't help but feel bad for them, of course. They had been cast off by Ozai, like a dirty towel or something of no value. And that _hurt _– she would know_._ And so naturally, though she loved her son, she didn't want him going off and starting up a relationship with a girl randomly, especially if Mai was still in the picture. It was all for Katara's sake – Ursa just wanted to protect her. She knew Katara was important to him, but how much?

So, the ex-Fire Princess decided to confront her son on the topic of his relationship with Katara when they were alone. Her chance came when one evening, Katara went shopping with San (something about Katara needing some type of fabric...), leaving Ursa and Zuko alone.

While Zuko was finishing a few chores up, Ursa asked him to join her at the kitchen table when he was finished. He complied without complaint, and a few minutes later, he joined his mother.

"I want to talk to you," she told him simply when he sat down, and he raised an eyebrow at her.

"Okay. About what?" he sighed a bit, before wiping a bit of sweat off his brow. He had been doing housework for the majority of the day, at his insistence, and now the brunt of it all was catching up to him, and he was quickly becoming exhausted.

"About Katara, Zuko." At the sound of her name, Zuko looked up and cocked an eyebrow at his mother. "Refresh my memory... how long have you known her for?"

"About two years now," he answered. "Why?"

"Just wondering. You were more than a little brief on your introduction of her a week ago, and she hasn't really told me anything about your two's background," Ursa told him honestly. She inquired her next question: "And how did you two meet?"

Zuko looked to the side awkwardly. He, quite obviously, didn't have the best start with Katara. The pair had hated each other – at least, from Katara's spectrum – at first, and then right when they had begun to trust each other, did Zuko break that again. And while it took some time, he did gain it back. "I – uh, I'll be honest, we didn't get off to the best start. She found Aang – the Avatar – before I did, and I... kind of attacked her village. Our relationship went up and down from there, but the important thing is that we're on good terms now," he explained.

Ursa nodded and then smiled at him. "Oh, Zuko." A few moments of silence passed, Ursa trying to figure out she was going to voice her next question without inadvertently insulting her son. "My last question, my son, what is she to you? And certainly don't tell me she's just your friend, young man! I've seen you two kissing quite blatantly – she's more to you than that!"

Zuko gave his mother a sheepish look, and answered her question with one of his own. "Mom, why are you asking me all of these things?"

Ursa sighed then, her smile falling as she became more serious. "I guess I should be more direct with you – I want to know exactly what you are looking for with Katara. I understand that you are young, and that she may just be a bit of fun for you now... but, Zu—"

"Mom!" Zuko jumped up then. "What are you implying? Do you... do you really think I'd use Katara like that? I... would never do that to her." His eyes were burning then, but not out of anger from his mother's accusation, but with a certain passion.

"I'm sorry for accusing you, Zuko," Ursa nodded at him truthfully before looking at the floor. "I was curious for Katara's sake. I just don't want her to become your play thing, like with what your father did..."

Zuko's gaze was cast down then, as his memory filled briefly with the nights when he was subject to the yelling his mother had to deal with when it came to his father's angry ex-lovers. "I assure you, mother," he looked up at her then, and smiled genuinely. "I wouldn't do that to Katara, ever. She means too much to me to hurt her like that – and besides, she's... she's the only girl I have eyes for."

His mother looked up then. "I'm glad to hear that. But, Zuko, what about Mai? What happened to her?"

Zuko's happy expression retreated then, and he looked away darkly. "We went through a few rough patches, and then when Katara came to visit a few days before this trip, our relationship finally crumbled from there. I can't deal with her, mom, I really can't," Zuko admitted with a sigh. "Katara's just so much more than she ever was to me. I like Katara a lot. You know that." Reaching up to his neck just slightly then, he thought of Katara's mother's engagement necklace, and what it would be like if one he made was sitting there instead. Would he ever...? "I've never thought down upon her – she deserves more respect than I can even give her. She'll never be trivial to me, mother. She means so much to me." The conviction in his voice made his mother smile proudly. He was serious about Katara – he sounded so in love with the Waterbender that it was almost a bit too much for the ex-Fire Princess to comprehend. She'd never seen her son so passionate about something – about someone.

"Zuko," she stood up and walked around the table to embrace her son. "As long as you treat her properly... she's a special one. You only find girls like her once in a lifetime."

He hugged his mother, and whispered to her, "I will, mom... I promise."

As the two retreated from the embrace, they both heard some footsteps coming from the front of the house, and a few seconds later, a chattering Katara and San marched through the door, the former toting a large bag of blue fabric and other hefty materials. After she finished talking away to San, Katara turned to both Ursa and Zuko and smiled. "Hello, Ursa," she nodded at the woman, who smiled back warmly. Walking over to Zuko, she gave him a different look and said softly, "Hey."

He beamed at her, before outstretching his arms to take the bundle of fabric in her hands. "I'll take that for you, if you want," he offered, trying to it take from her, but she just gave him a mischievous smile and turned away, affectively disallowing for him to take the fabrics from her.

"Nuh-uh, Fire Lord Zuko," she teased at him. "These are for my hands and eyes only."

He was about to protest, as only Zuko would, when she leaned over and planted a kiss square on his lips. She giggled at his dazed expression, before turning and marching up the stairs to the room where she and Zuko were staying. Ursa watched, amused, as her son blinked at Katara, and when the Waterbender left the room, sigh dreamily.

Laughing, Ursa placed a hand on her son's shoulder. "You're in deep, son," she told him.

"Yeah," he breathed, smiling to himself. "Deeply in love."

At this, his mother's chuckles deepened, and San joined in. He blushed at this, before turning away from them, shaking his head, and walking in the direction Katara went.

~P~

A few more days passed with relative calmness. Katara, however, worked on something feverishly, something she would not allow Zuko to see, despite how much he begged to see her progress. But every single time, she just denied him. He knew, however, that he would get to see it soon.

The pair had gotten comfortable living for the time being with Ursa and San – everything was peaceful, nothing was disturbing them. Until one day, when they received a knock on the front door of the house. That was the beginning of something entirely new to Zuko – something he didn't necessarily want to face.

It was early on a Wednesday morning, and he had just dragged himself out of bed. Katara was already up, bright and glowing and smiling (he figured she must have gotten used to waking up so early from having to be the mother of the Gaang). She was in the corner of the small living area, stitching some type of fur to the blue fabric she had bought before, turned away from Zuko.

He smiled at the sight of her – she was so busy working away that she hadn't even noticed he had come downstairs. Stretching and walking over to her, he slung an arm around her, surprising the Waterbender. Instantly, she stuffed her stitching project away from his prying eyes.

"Good morning," he leaned close to her face, and gave her an amused side glance. "Still not going to let me see it?"

"Good try, mister," she smirked at him. "Nope." He kissed her cheek then, and she laughed. "But, good morning to you, too."

Zuko opened his mouth to say something then, but a knock at the front door stopped him.

"Can someone please get that?" They heard San, who was cleaning up her garden, call from out back.

Zuko and Katara looked at each other. "Considering you look like a mess," Katara placed her project under something so Zuko couldn't see it, "I'll answer it."

"Hey!" the Fire Lord cried, smoothing back his mussed up hair. "I don't look that bad!"

"You just woke up," Katara pointed out, and before he could protest, she stood up and made her way across the room and to the door. "You go... get cleaned up or something. You wouldn't want to embarrass your mother now, would you?"

Zuko sighed and smiled at her, before walking up the stairs to go and get cleaned up. Katara smiled back at him, before placing her hand on the door handle and opening it slightly. Looking outside, she saw a tall, smiling man standing there, holding two bouquets of flowers, and a pack of vegetables. Beside him was a familiar face – Michi – holding his own bouquet of flowers as he smiled sheepishly.

"Delivery for Kuma and San," the man announced brightly, eyes shut, holding the flowers out. He then looked at Michi. "And Michi here has a delivery for a Katara."

When Katara just blinked between the two, the man's eyes opened, and he noticed that neither San _or _Ursa – or Kuma to him – had answered the door. Instead, the Waterbender had. "Oh!" he grinned at Katara. "You must be Katara! Michi..." he turned to the Earthbender then, whose cheeks were red.

"Uh, here, Katara," Michi stepped forward, and shoved the bouquets of sakura in her arms. "I-I figured I still owed you more. So, um, I'm sorry... again?"

Katara blinked at Michi, before smiling at him, taking the flowers. She was about to thank him, when she heard the Fire Lord's voice from up the stairs.

"Who is it, Katara?"

A few seconds later, he came down the stairs, and upon seeing the Earthbender at the door, he scowled. "What is _he _doing here?"

Katara turned then, and revealed the flowers in her arms, and Zuko's scowl deepened even further. She then looked at Michi and smiled. "You wanted to apologize to Zuko," she whispered. "Now's your time."

Michi swallowed, but stepped forward. "Uh, hey," he waved awkwardly at the Fire Lord. Zuko stepped down in the room and crossed his arms at Michi. "I've wanted to apologize for a while... I've already apologized to Katara..." Michi looked back at Katara and smiled, causing the jealous Fire Lord's fists to heat up just slightly. "And, so, well... I'm sorry for what I did. I know I can't make it up to you, but I _am_ sorry."

Zuko huffed, and rolled his eyes. "Whatever."

Katara frowned at this, and walked over to him after placing the flowers on the counter beside her. Pulling him to the side and placing her hand on his arm, she gave him a look. "Zuko," the chiding tone was present in her voice, "he's being sincere. He's sorry – all he wanted to do was prove his power, his honour to his father. Sound familiar?"

Zuko looked away, but the truth of the matter kept burrowing into his head. Michi was not unlike himself, and he knew this. He looked over at the Earthbender and sent him a glare.

Michi stood there, peering at the two, and when Katara's fingers intertwined with the Fire Lord's, his stomach twisted just slightly – he may be sorry about attacking Zuko, but he still thought Katara deserved better.

"I... I know, Katara," Zuko finally admitted a few moments later.

"Then accept the apology," she told him sternly, before dragging him back over to Michi. When a few seconds passed and the Fire Lord still didn't say anything, she elbowed him.

"I accept your apology, Michi," Zuko said begrudgingly, and Michi's shoulders slumped noticeably in relief.

"Thank you," he breathed, before smiling brightly at Katara, who returned it with a smaller smile of her own. Zuko glowered at the boy, whose overfriendliness was beginning to get to the Fire Lord. Katara caught this instead of the Earthbender then, and she frowned at her lover again. "We're more similar than we thought, I guess, huh?" Michi said quietly to the Fire Lord.

Sighing, Zuko finally allowed his expression to relax a bit. "Yep." The protective arm he had around Katara, though, did not relax at all, and annoyed by it, she stepped out of it and towards the man from before, who had been waiting patiently the entire time.

"Sorry for making you wait like that," she smiled at him. "You were looking for Ur—Kuma and San?" He nodded. "Well, San's out back, and Kuma's just upstairs getting ready for the day." She looked at the flowers he was holding again, which were bright yellow and baby blue respectively. "These are beautiful."

He beamed. "Only the best for my Kuma and her friend. And besides," he turned to Michi, "my nephew here was going on about wanting to deliver some flowers to you all week. So he just came along with me."

"U-uncle Kin!" Michi squeaked, his face going bright red, and Zuko's face and fists both scrunched up beside the Earthbender.

Katara smiled, a bit surprised by Michi's affections towards her. It was sort of cute.

"What?" the man – Kin – smiled at his nephew. "It's true." Michi spluttered while Kin turned towards Katara and outstretched his hand after placing down the flowers and package of vegetables. "You know my name now, but I still think I should introduce myself," he explained, and she took his large hand and shook it. "I'm Kin, Mayor Toru's younger brother. I live over in Umigame Grove – it's a few miles away from here, but it has the best vegetables in the entire Earth Kingdom! That's why I bring Kuma and San vegetables each week!" He was a tall man, who always seemed to be smiling (at least in the few minutes Katara had known him), and he had bright green eyes and dark hair and a somewhat tanned skin tone. His hair was darker that Michi or Toru's hair color, though. He was quite muscled, too – it must have been all the farming he did on a daily basis.

"I'm Katara," the Waterbender explained. "I'm from the Southern Water Tribe. And this is my... boyfriend, Zuko." At Katara calling Zuko her boyfriend, the Fire Lord's heart skipped a beat, and Michi's stomach dropped.

"Pleased to make your acquaintances, Katara and Zuko," he shook her hand firmly. He looked around the room, before peering at her curiously. "If you don't mind my asking, do you two know Kuma and San? I'm just wondering because they _never_ let anyone stay over at their house – it's a rule with Kuma. So I'm curious as to why you two are different...?"

Katara looked back at Zuko then, an uncertain look on both of their faces. Turning back to him, she said, "Well, uh, y-yes—" but was cut off when a creak at the foot of the stairs alerted them to Ursa's presence.

When all four of them looked back at the woman, she smiled, and Kin stepped forward. "Kuma!" he threw his arms forward, and she easily walked into them and hugged him. Zuko gave his mother a strange look at her sudden affection for this man, whom she was nuzzling her face into, but he did not say anything. "How have you been, my dear?" Kin's booming voice from before was quieter now, and he was smiling softly at Ursa as he brushed back her hair.

"Great," she admitted. "You?"

"I've been good, as always. But my days are always better when spent with you..." he whispered this to Ursa, who giggled a bit at that. The pair embraced for a few more moments before retreating, and Ursa turned to Katara and her son.

"I see you two have met my good friend, Kin," Ursa smiled at him, and while he smiled back at her, he gave her a bit of a strange look, but didn't say anything. Ursa smiled at Michi, who returned it. Katara nodded in response to the ex-Fire Princess, and Zuko looked between his mother and the man carefully. Just then, San came through the back door.

"Hey, all," she smiled at everyone, and then she noticed Kin by Ursa's side. "Oh, Kin's here! Hello! It feels like it's been forever since you were last here, you know that?"

Looking over at Ursa, his eyes glinted. "I feel that same way, San." He walked over to the counter then, and picked up the two bouquets of flowers. San walked forward, and stood beside Ursa. "For my two special ladies," he smiled charmingly at them, handing the bright yellow one to Ursa and the baby blue one to San.

San squeaked out of gratefulness, while Ursa smiled softly at him and gazed at him intently. Zuko was beginning to become a little uncomfortable about his mother's behaviour, and he walked over to Katara, leaving Michi standing where he was, silent as ever.

"Thank you," Ursa blushed slightly, and even Katara noticed this, and when Zuko clutched her hand, she gave him a look. He gave her a look back – it was a look of questioning, like he didn't _understand _what his mother clearly had with this man.

Kin bowed slightly. "Anything for you, my Kuma." He stood up then, and motioned to the vegetables on the counter. "I got you some of those carrots that you and San like, too."

"Ain't he a sweetie pie?" San winked at Katara, who laughed. Zuko broke the moment, though.

"Mother," he stepped forward and directed a stern look to the woman in question, and Katara yanked on his arm when she noticed Kin's expression drop and him give a confused look between Ursa and Zuko. Katara knew he was going to try to start something, and after seeing how happy Ursa was, she didn't want to see Zuko stop that for the woman. The yank was enough to bring him out of his sudden dark mindset, and he looked back at Katara and gave her a saddened look – he was trying to get his mother in trouble with Kin, because he didn't think it was fair that his mother hide her _true _identity from this person who was clearly important to her. And the one word that Zuko spoke was enough to do so.

"Mother?" Kin repeated, looking solely at Ursa now. "Kuma, what is he talking about? You don't _have _any kids."

Ursa sighed, her expression fallen and she looked at the ground. Raising her gaze, she gave a look to Zuko, who wouldn't meet her eye, before looking back at Kin. "I... have a few things I need to talk to you about, actually, Kin," she told him quietly, taking his hands in hers as she led him to the back porch. He looked around the room, thoroughly confused. He looked at his nephew, who shrugged, and then at San, who wore the same sad expression that Ursa did. He followed her out the back door, and the pair soon disappeared.

The tension that had been strung across the room did not leave, and after a few seconds, Michi moved towards the door. "I think I'm going to go home. Later, Katara. Zuko." And at that, the Earthbender left the three other people in the room together.

San puttered about, refusing to make eye contact with Katara and Zuko. "I-I really should... go out and get some, uh, fruit," she mumbled, placing her bouquet of flowers next to Katara's and grabbing a random basket used for shopping before leaving the pair alone.

At that, Katara turned and slapped Zuko's arm lightly. "What the HELL was that, Zuko?" she shouted at him, her arms akimbo.

"I... I don't know," he admitted honestly, walking over to the table and falling onto one of the chairs there. "I couldn't stand it – you saw how they were looking at each other, Katara. How my mother was acting! All of a sudden, I felt the need to end it and the first thing that came to mind was—"

"Revealing your mother's identity?" Katara yelled harshly. "Zuko, that's not your information to give! She was probably waiting for the right time to tell this man! And so what if she has something with him, Zuko? She's a full grown woman who doesn't need her son directing her love life! Can't you just be happy for _anyone, ever_? You're ridiculous, Zuko!" At that, she made for the door.

"You're not being fair, Katara!" Zuko shot up then.

"Tell it to someone who wants to listen," she told him bitterly before slamming the door behind her. At that, Zuko slumped down in his chair, bringing a hand to his suddenly pulsating head. In a matter of a few moments, his morning had gone from great to hell. And now Michi wasn't the one who had a bunch of apologizing to do – it was his turn!

~P~

A week had passed since the incident. A short while after Ursa had pulled Kin out of the room to talk to him, did a short series of shouts and whispers occur, and then he left. When he didn't arrive later that week, Ursa's heart broke a bit, and she visibly teared up. Katara hadn't talked to the Fire Lord since, and San had tried to avoid the situation as much as possible. It didn't help that Ursa was getting a bit sick, either! She hadn't been doing well since they had gotten there, but she was really starting to get ill now.

Ursa noticed how miserable her son looked over the course of those few days, and same with the Waterbender. Their days were spent with frustrated sighs and longing stares.

She wanted the young lovers to talk it out, but at the same time, she wasn't about to worsen the situation by forcing forgiveness on them. So, instead, she decided to talk to one of them. And since Zuko was basically avoiding his own mother, she went to Katara. The ex-Fire Princess got her chance when, one evening, Katara was sitting outside by Turtleduck Waterfall, feeding the ducklings in silence.

Ursa watched the Waterbender from the front porch of the house, and after a few moments passed, she went over to her. "Mind if I join you?" she asked as she smiled down at her.

"O-oh, Ursa," Katara looked up at the pale woman quickly. "No, not at all."

Ursa nodded at her, and then sat down. She placed a hand on her forehead when she began to feel faint, and the Waterbender noticed, and so put her own hand on her shoulder to steady the woman. Ursa didn't enjoy this sudden bout of sickness she was going through one bit, but it just wouldn't seem to go away!

For a short while afterwards, a silence cast over them, but the Fire Lord's mother broke it. "So, how have you been faring these days here?"

"I love it here," Katara admitted, motioning around at the beautiful scenery. "You're really lucky."

"I am," Ursa smiled, "but so is my son." Katara turned that at the mention of Zuko, her eyebrow slightly cocked. Ursa explained, "It's because of you, Katara. Zuko is so happy because of _you_. And his joy brings me joy, like only a mother could feel. What I'm saying, Katara, is that we're both glad you're here. You're a wonderful person."

Katara was surprised by the ex-Fire Princess's sudden sentimentalities towards her, but her expression softened when she noticed the other woman's. "I'm glad to be here with all of you, too."

There was a silence between them again before Ursa asked out of curiosity, "So, do you miss your friends back in the Fire Nation?"

Katara's heart jumpstarted violently then, and while she remembered and missed them all, she was a more than a little uneasy about the fact that she had forgotten - _forgotten! _- about Aang in her little escapade with Zuko. She forgot about her _actual _boyfriend, and the shame that began to cloud her mind then translated on her face in a deep frown.

Ursa noticed the young Waterbender's change in expression, and she placed a hand on her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her. "Katara," she began, "what's wrong?"

Katara just continued to blink at the ground and the more she thought about the situation, the sicker she felt. And as she looked up at the concerned ex-Fire Princess, another realization hit her – it wasn't fair that to lie to Ursa. Though it really wasn't the woman's business, it was still wrong at the same time. "U-Ursa," Katara said quietly, "I don't know... I don't know if Zuko's told you this, and I don't imagine he would... but... we're not actually in a relationship together. We're just kind of... going with it."

It was Ursa's turn to blink now, confused. When Katara noticed her expression, she breathed in shakily before continuing. "Zuko's not technically my boyfriend. Aang – the Avatar, back home – is." She looked back at Ursa, whose expression was still confused, but to Katara's immense happiness, was not accusing or unimpressed. "You see, when we started this journey, one thing lead to another and well, um, here we are now... it was unexpected and just happened. I swear, I never meant to hurt your son or yourself—"

"It doesn't appear as though you have, for either of us," Ursa smiled, slightly sadly. "Zuko has never been happier with you around, and quite frankly, I enjoy your presence, as well." The ex-Fire Princess sighed then. "However, you already know that I am guilty of the same actions – I started a relationship with Kin while still married to Ozai, and it's still happening." When Katara gave her a slightly surprised look, she nodded. "I know that you two – especially Zuko – were wondering about that. I hope he'll be able to adjust to it..."

Katara rolled her eyes to herself then – she knew Zuko wasn't adjusting like his mother hoped. In fact, he was taking the situation terribly, as was shown throughout that week of avoidance.

"I love Kin," Ursa continued, smiling down at the pond as a Turtleduck came up to her and nuzzled against her fingers. "But I'm still married to Ozai and the fact that I didn't tell him the truth for so many years... I just don't want to lose him. I... I wish that I had confronted Ozai. I know that I couldn't have, but still, I wish there was a way that I could have ended things with him first before starting my relationship with Kin." She turned to Katara then and directed her smile to her. "But saying that, I wouldn't go back on my relationship with Kin for anything in the world."

Katara smiled back at Ursa. Just the look in the woman's eyes told Katara how in love with Kin she was, and the Waterbender briefly wondered if she looked that way when she was around Zuko.

A few more seconds of silence passed before Ursa started to speak again, this time quieter. "Just, Katara, if you are serious about Zuko, I must ask of you to eventually make a decision... it does not have to be immediate, but I don't want to see anyone, especially either of you two, get hurt if you don't. I'm not meaning to pressure you; I'm just asking you take this into consideration."

Like before, Katara was hit with a pang of realization. She _was _going to have to make a decision – a few weeks before when this had first happened, she figured that she and Zuko would ultimately just waltz out of_ it_ like nothing had ever happened between them, but inevitably, she had grown too attached to him to just leave him like that. She couldn't do that to him, but at the same time, could she leave Aang that easily? No. That was the simple answer. No, she couldn't. But it was the same for Zuko, too! Within minutes, Katara's head went from being peacefully content to swimming with the many different scenarios that could happen if she did or didn't make a decision between Zuko or Aang.

Ursa noticed the Waterbender's sudden apprehension and confusion, and placed a motherly hand on her thigh comfortingly. "Don't worry yourself about it right now, Katara," she told her soothingly. "I'm just asking, that at the end of it, you make a decision. It doesn't have to happen right now. I can't vouch for how Zuko will take it, but it isn't his decision. It's yours, and no one else's."

Katara drew in a long, shaky breath then, before smiling weakly at the woman. "Thank you, Ursa." The older woman was right – she needn't make a final decision right now. She could make it when she got back, when she could make an informed decision. And while this did well to momentarily calm Katara down, there was still the inevitable lingering nag in the back of her mind that said while she could put if off all she wanted, she'd eventually have to make a decision. And that scared the powerful Waterbender.

~P~

The next day, Katara made to talk to Zuko. The Fire Lord himself was missing the Waterbender terribly. The pair hadn't spoken in a week, and all he wanted to do was to talk to her.

He was planning on confronting her, but instead, she pulled him aside after dinner on the eighth night. After a few seconds of awkward silence passed between them, she said quietly, "Hey."

Zuko smiled at the sound of her voice. "Hey." When she said nothing next, he took this as an opportunity to continue. "Look, Katara, I'm sorry I was such an idiot. It wasn't my place to give away her identity to Kin – you're right. It was a stupid mistake, Katara. And I know this sounds dumb considering it only happened a week ago, but I miss you, and I want us to be together again."

"I'm sorry, too," Katara admitted a few seconds later. He gave her a look as to why. "For yelling at you, in general. I'm not your mother – that's not _my _place."

They smiled at each other then, before stepping forward and embracing slightly. When they pulled back, though, Katara placed a hand on Zuko's face and said whisperingly, "But... you have to learn to accept her relationship with Kin, Zuko." The Fire Lord stepped back then, but she refused to let him out of her grasp. "You have to at least try, Zuko! She talked to me about it... and she loves that man. It's unfair of you to treat her how you are."

Zuko didn't answer as he turned away. Katara was right, he should at least try, but over the last few days, his brain was working overtime to try to conjure up any excuse possible as to why his mother _wasn't _in a romantic relationship with Kin. Zuko didn't know why, but he didn't like the idea of it. It's not that he didn't want his mother to be happy, he did, but at the same time he couldn't accept that she was with anyone except his father. Sure, he hated the man, but he figured that after his mother ran away, that she would never be with another man. He had come to his mother believing that nothing had changed – that she would still focus solely on him, and that despite the fact that they were separated, she was still _with _Ozai. But this was not the case and the young Fire Lord was having a difficult time accepting that.

"Katara," he breathed, "you don't understand... it's weird for me to see my mother with another man. I want her to be happy, I really do, but I don't know if I can bring myself to accept Kin..."

Katara took his hands in hers and squeezed them. "Just give it some time, Zuko. It'll be difficult as first, but you wouldn't be Fire Lord if you weren't capable of handling issues like this. You're strong, Zuko, and I promise that you'll come to understand." At this, she hugged him again.

Whispering in her ear, he said, "I... I'll try."

"And that's all you need to do," she told him as she retreated from the tight hug. She leaned forward then and placed her forehead against his. They stared deeply at each other. As though reading her mind, the Fire Lord closed the gap between them then, kissing her slowly.

When they pulled back, they smiled at each other. "I've missed you," he whispered.

She laughed lightly at this, before kissing him again. "Same."

They held hands then, and looked inside the house through the window. San was throwing her arms about animatedly and Ursa was laughing at whatever she was saying. Smiling softly, Katara then said, "You know, you should probably talk to your mom, too. Even Kin, maybe. Just to clear things up."

Zuko swallowed at that. He could apologize to his mother easily, but to Kin? He didn't know about that... but deep down, he knew that he had to. Kin's new anger and mistrust towards his mother was his fault, after all. After taking a few seconds to think about it, Zuko sighed, knowing Katara was right. "I will."

"Thank you," she smiled at him, and then looking from his amber eyes to the scene back inside, began tugging him towards the door, her smile turning from sweet to mischievous. "Now let's go back inside. We've got a week's worth of _us_ to catch up on..."

Zuko blinked wildly at this, but did not protest as she pulled him through the house and up to their shared room.

~P~

Zuko woke up the next morning practically beaming. He knew that making up with Katara and that their night together had definitely helped contribute to his good mood. And he knew that that day would be as good as any other to apologize to his mother, but at the same time, he couldn't bring himself to. All morning, every time he went up to her to start his apology, he just couldn't. Katara caught on to this quickly, and then suggesting to San that they give mother and son some time alone, they did so.

Ursa sat at the table in the middle of the main floor when Zuko approached her. She was admiring the flowers that Kin had given her, her mind sadly going over the moment she told him about her past. Zuko blinked at his mother's form, which sighed heavily.

Despite wanting to be as quiet as possible, when he stepped forward, the floorboard that his foot hit screeched obnoxiously, alerting Ursa of his presence. Spinning around, she looked up at him. "Oh, Zuko," she smiled at him.

"M-mom," he started shakily, making his way to the table and sitting down.

She gave him a curious look, but he wouldn't make eye contact with her. She wasn't really angry with him at all – she understood her son's confusion about her relationship with Kin, and how he refused to believe in it. But at the same time, like Katara, she wanted him to understand that Kin wasn't going anywhere.

For what felt like forever, Zuko said nothing, an uncomfortable tension between him and his mother. "I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry," he finally spilled over, still refusing to make eye contact. Before even the Fire Lord knew it, tears were forming in his eyes. _Agni!_ he cursed himself, _why am I getting so emotional?_ But he knew why – this was a sensitive family topic.

"Zuko!" his mother shot up and made her way to him to wrap her arms around him.

"I'm sorry for going off at Kin about you," he admitted. "I-I shouldn't have and I was just being selfish and I was just thinking about myself and I was an idiot and—"

"Zuko, calm down," Ursa shushed him, squeezing him in her embrace. He brought his own arms up then, holding her.

As he centered his breath, he continued again, this time his speech slowed and more coherent. "I know it's not about me, and I want you to be happy, mom – I really do. You deserve it..." he started. "But it's going to take some time for me to... adjust to this. But, at that, I do... I do think that I can. Like I said, I just want for you to be happy, and he makes you happy. And that means that I'm happy."

Ursa pulled back from the hug and peered at her son, tears forming in her eyes. She just loved her son so much! "Thank you, Zuko," she pulled him in for another embrace, her heart exploding. "Thank you."

Knowing he was forgiven, Zuko smiled brightly to himself, before joining in on the hug again.

~P~

A few days passed, and Zuko discussed with Katara about travelling to Umigame Grove so that he could talk to Kin. When Katara offered to go with him, he told her 'no' – it was something he needed to do on his own.

This, obviously, annoyed the Waterbender. Even with a map (he insisted on walking instead of taking Appa so he didn't attract unnecessary attention), he didn't know the surrounding areas well enough to just go off on his own tangent. She figured that a local would be best for directing Zuko around, but he still refused. Besides, who else did they know in town, Michi? And that's when it struck Katara. _Yes, _Michi!

She knew that the two were out to get each other, but she didn't want Zuko getting lost, and because he wouldn't let her come with him, Michi was her last option. And the Fire Lord was going to have to deal with it, unless he wanted her coming along.

The day Zuko chose to leave for Umigame, he waited patiently for Katara. He wanted to say goodbye to her, but he hadn't seen her all morning.

"Hey!"

Zuko turned around at the sound of her voice, smiling, but the happy look on his face fell upon seeing who was walking up from behind her. Michi.

"Katara, what the hell is he doing here?" Zuko said outright, not caring about the boy. The Earthbender gave the Firebender a look before crossing his arms and looking away.

"Well," she smirked at her lover, and walked up to him. "You won't let me come with you, and because it's _you _and we know you'll somehow get yourself in trouble, I asked Michi to take you to Umigame."

Zuko looked at Katara and then back at Michi, who still wasn't making eye contact with him. "No way, Katara. You can't make me take him along," Zuko pouted.

"You wanna bet?" she glowered at him. "It's either me or Michi, and since you've already made your decision, you're taking him along! Deal with it!"

"What? Are you threatening me?" Zuko glared back at her.

Katara gave him a look that said 'do you really want to go there again?', and Zuko knew he was beat. He didn't want to start another tiff with Katara so soon after he had finished his other one.

"Fine, whatever, but I swear," he took hold of her hand and yanked her closer to him, smiling seductively at her, "you owe me one."

"I won't argue with that one," she purred, her lips tauntingly close to his as she said this. Zuko shivered at her words, and wished for a few seconds that he hadn't chosen that day to leave.

"I'm still _here_, you know," Michi called at them, huffing.

Zuko grumbled then, and glared at the boy. Katara blushed brightly, before laughing embarrassedly.

Rolling his eyes, Zuko frowned and said begrudgingly, "Well, I guess we better get going, Michi."

Michi hiked up his small bag over his shoulders and shrugged before walking back to the path that led out of the field. Zuko started to walk that way, too, before Katara took his hand and spun him around, kissing him suddenly. When she pulled back, she smiled. "Be safe and try not to kill each other, okay?"

Leaning forward and capturing her lips in his a second time, he smiled against them and said, "I'll try, but no promises." When he pulled back, she frowned at him and gave him a look, to which he laughed at. She looked so cute when she pouted.

At that, he gave her a soft smile and turned away, walking in the direction that Michi went.

~P~

"The map says to go right!"

"Well, it's wrong!"

"It's a freaking map! What makes you think I should trust you over a map?"

"The fact that that thing is, like, ten years old? Routes change, Zuko! Take it from someone who knows the area – it's left to Umigame Grove!"

Zuko threw his arms up in the air, thoroughly exasperated with Michi. It was only four hours into the two-day trip, and they were already at each other's throats.

As much as Zuko wanted to go right, he knew that he should listen to Michi and go left. This little trip wasn't even about him – it was about his mother and Kin. Sitting down on a stump, frustrated, he brought his fingers to his nose and pinched the bridge. "Why did you even agree to come?"

"Because Katara asked me to," Michi breathed.

"I'm so sure," Zuko growled at him. "You did it try to impress her – I can tell. You hate my guts, and I'm not too fond of you, either. The only reason you're doing this is try to get into my girlfriend's pants!"

"Actually, no!" Michi shouted, his face burning in embarrassment and anger. "You want to know why? Yeah, I like Katara, and yeah, I wanted to impress her, but I'm not as much of an ass as you think to just want to have sex with her, you idiot! Just because I went after you doesn't mean I'm crazy all the time! She deserves better than you, you selfish pompous ASS!"

Zuko's hand flared up with flames as he dropped his bag and the map to the side. "You want to say that again?"

"Yeah!" Michi's feet moved so that some stone jumped out of the ground. "You! Don't! Deserve! Katara!"

Zuko's hands shot out multiple flames at the Earthbender, but he dodged them. They brawled for a few more minutes before Michi dropped the rocks he was making float in the air. "Stop," he commanded the Fire Lord, who was preparing to punch him.

"Why should I listen to you?" Zuko yelled furiously. He detested Michi like none other.

"We shouldn't be fighting – we should be trying to get to Fusero before nightfall so that we can get to Umigame by tomorrow night," the Earthbender sighed, his facial expression still stony with disgust.

Zuko's hands dropped, and his clouded mind cleared. He hated that Michi was right, but he was. Grumbling, the Fire Lord relaxed and sighed before going back to his bag and the map. Lifting them up, he glared at the boy before continuing to the left side of the forked road. "Whatever. Let's just go."

Michi smirked cheekily to himself before following the Firebender.

~P~

"Ursa? Are you okay?" San knocked on the door of Ursa's bedroom, where the ex-Fire Princess had been all day. The day that Zuko had left, her sickness had skyrocketed and she was feeling terrible.

Katara walked up the stairs, giving San a worried look. "Is she any better?"

San shook her head. "Unfortunately, no."

At that, they heard Ursa stand up quickly and make for the bathroom, making obscene noises once inside. Katara then became distressed, and she latched on to San's sleeve. "Isn't there anything you can do? You're the clinic owner around here – you must have some idea about what's wrong with her!"

San frowned, looking in between the door and the Waterbender. She looked as though she were contemplating something. Sighing, she whispered, "I... I think I may have an idea. But you can't tell Zuko."

Katara's eyes widened. What could it possibly be that she couldn't tell Zuko? San leaned in to her ear and whispered her prediction, and the Waterbender's head began to spin. If Zuko could barely accept his mother being in a relationship with Kin, then he would go absolutely insane at this!

"A-are you sure?" Katara blinked at the woman.

San nodded. "It only makes sense – Ursa never gets sick, and I've examined her and the symptoms multiple times..."

Katara nodded then. "O-okay."

"Just remember, no telling Zuko," San gave her a stern look.

"I know," the Waterbender nodded again before making her way to her room, shaking the entire time. How was she supposed to keep this a secret from him?

~P~

At the nick of dusk, the two young men made their way to Fusero Grove, much to Zuko's embarrassment and relief. The two bickered over where they were going to stay for the night, but eventually found a place, and the next morning, bright and early, were they off to Umigame Grove.

The two stayed quiet for the majority of the trip, but upon almost entering Umigame, did Zuko quietly mutter, "Sorry for yesterday..." All this apologizing was killing the Fire Lord's ego!

Michi blinked, incredulous at what the Fire Lord had just said to him. "What?"

"You heard me," Zuko didn't look at the Earthbender.

Michi rolled his eyes. "Well, consider yourself forgiven. Just... treat Katara right, okay? She deserves the best."

Instead of getting angry at him, Zuko smiled. "I know she does."

After that, the two boys were quiet, but after a while, they began to idly chat to pass time. Before Zuko knew it, they were in Umigame Grove. "So where does your uncle live?" the Fire Lord inquired.

"Follow me," Michi motioned for him to follow him, and a few minutes of walking later, were they surrounded by plains, which in turn were surrounded by mountains. "He lives there," Michi pointed to a farmhouse, which had miles of land around it, a few hundred yards away. Nodding at him, Zuko continued to follow Michi.

Soon, they were at the front of the house, standing in front of the door. Without any hesitation, Zuko raised his hand and rapped on the door. A few minutes passed before his opened. Kin stood in the doorway, smiling. "Hello!" When his eyes opened, though, his face fell noticeably. "Huh? Oh, _you_. What did I do to deserve a visit from the ever-elusive Fire Lord Zuko?" The Earthbender's tone was thoroughly unimpressed.

"I came to talk to you about my mother," Zuko told him straightforwardly.

Kin blinked then, surprised by this. "K-Kuma? Or should I say... Ursa."

"Yes," Zuko nodded.

"I don't want to talk about her," Kin lied, turning away and crossing his arms. The glint in his eyes told the Fire Lord differently, though.

Zuko sighed, becoming desperate at this point. This conflict had gone on for too long, and he was tired of it. "Please, Kin. I want this to be over as much as you do. So, please, just let me talk."

The tall man stared down at the Fire Lord, who held his stare. Michi looked between the two of them. Eventually, Kin relented. Motioning for the two to enter his house, he sighed. Michi decided to stay outside and give them privacy, while Zuko entered.

Kin led Zuko to his living room, where they both stood awkwardly.

"Uh, okay," Zuko coughed. "I came here to... apologize. I'm sorry, Kin, that you had to find out about my mother the way you did – because I was an ass. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. But... you shouldn't be angry at my mother. She was just doing it protect me and herself from mortal danger, I swear. If you should be furious with anyone, direct it at me. Just... please, don't deny my mother. She doesn't deserve to lose everything she loves once again."

"Zuko," Kin began gruffly, "she lied to me about basically everything. Even her name."

"But she's still the same woman she was when she was in the Fire Nation – she didn't lie to you about her personality. She didn't make that up – you still fell in love with the same woman," Zuko explained. "If you really love her, you should be able to overlook her past. She would have never lied to you if it weren't for me. So, once again, it's my fault. But don't blame her."

"She's the former Fire Princess, married to ex-Fire Lord Ozai! Do you understand what it feels like to have a relationship built upon lies?" Kin looked at the Fire Lord, his eyes glassy. Zuko was surprised – despite being such a large man, he was quite sensitive.

Zuko turned his head away, reluctantly reminded of his and Katara's relationship. Despite how enamoured they were with each other, it didn't matter, their relationship was still concealed from everyone they cared about, and that was painful for the Firebender. Shaking his head, he said spitefully, "Actually, I do." Kin gave him a look. "But look at this front my mother's point of view – they were going to kill her only son and the only way she could protect either of us was if she ran away and started a new life. She, in no way whatsoever, meant to hurt you. Hell, at the time, she probably wasn't even expecting to start another relationship. But then she did, and she fell head over heels for you. So, please, if you can, find it in yourself to remove your grudge against her and put it on me so that you two can go back to the way you were before I came and messed everything up."

The scene went quiet for what felt like forever. Zuko stood there, his fists clenched, his face desperate. He was wishing with all of his heart that Kin would forgive his mother and be angry at him instead.

"Zuko, I... I see where you're coming from, I really do. I realize that you're right. And... I love Kuma like nothing else," Kin admitted. Zuko smiled at him calling her 'Kuma'. "I would do anything to get her back."

"Well, then, come back to Ai Basho with Michi and I," Zuko blurted out.

Kin blinked at him, surprised, before nodding confidently. "I will!"

Zuko nodded, his heart thumping happily. "Then let's get going!"

A large smile broke out on Kin's face, and he walked by Zuko quickly to go to his room to gather a few things for the trip. As he passed by him, Zuko asked, "So, do you forgive my mother? Please, I deserve your indignation."

Kin stopped then, looking at the Fire Lord blankly, scrutinizing him. Zuko blinked. Smiling, Kin clapped Zuko on the shoulder. "I forgive _both _of you," he told him.

Zuko released a breath he didn't know he had been holding at that point, and he almost collapsed to the floor. "Thank you so much," he told the muscular Earthbender.

Smiling tenderly, the Earthbender continued to his room and called, "Anytime, Zuko."

As Kin dug through his room, Zuko went to the front door and opened it. Spotting Michi sparring with a Scarecrow in the field in front of him, he shouted, "We're leaving in a few minutes, so hurry up!"

Michi stopped and turned to Zuko, a grumpy look on his face. "Oh, c'mon, we _just _got here!"

Zuko chuckled to himself, before walking outside and waiting for the older Earthbender. A few minutes later, Kin joined them, his own, slightly larger bag thrown over his shoulder. "Sorry for taking so long," he told Zuko, "I was just... looking for something special."

Nodding, Zuko called at Michi again, and he reluctantly joined the two other men. A few minutes later, after briefing the younger Earthbender on what was happening, were they off back to Ai Basho, more than eager to get to the little town.

~P~

After San informed Ursa of her suspected "ailment", the ex-Fire Princess was simply happy. She had sort of figured so, and was just glad that it was confirmed by an expert now. She was just worried about how her son would take it...

Upon the three men arriving the next day, Katara was the first to greet them, with Ursa upstairs sleeping, still trying to recover from her bout of sickness. The Waterbender was surprised, but not unhappy, to see Kin in the party with the other two boys.

"Where is Kuma?" Kin asked immediately, and Katara laughed at his enthusiasm.

"She's upstairs, napping. After Zuko left she got... sick suddenly, and has been recovering ever since," Katara explained, careful to avoid the real topic of Ursa's. Zuko gave her a worried, but odd, look. A distressed look crossed Kin's face, and he raced into the house and to Ursa's room.

Kissing Zuko's cheeks, Katara mumbled, "It's good to see you again."

The Fire Lord smiled at the Waterbender before kissing her. "Same to you." He then pointed in the direction Kin had gone, "We... we should probably follow him."

Katara nodded, before turning to Michi, who was standing behind the Fire Lord, looking off into the distance sheepishly. "Michi," she smiled at him, breaking off from Zuko. "Thank you so much for guiding Zuko to Umigame."

Michi looked up at her abruptly, blushing brightly. "Oh, uh," he brushed his dark brown hair out of his face, "It-it was nothing..."

"Whatever you say," Katara leaned over and hugged him. "But I still appreciate it."

Zuko observed the scene with jealousy, but not the same kind of vicious jealousy as before. He was on good terms with the Earthbender now. But it didn't stop him front wanting to pull Katara away when Michi placed his arms around her, too.

Pulling back, she gave the Earthbender a smile before returning to Zuko, whom she also gave a smile and interlocked their fingers. Walking into the house, she motioned for Michi to follow, and the three entered the small home.

When they entered the house, Kin was sitting at the kitchen table, San standing in front of him. "...Let me go get her," San said once they arrived at the scene. Kin nodded and the clinic owner turned around and went up the stairs. Michi went and sat on the small sofa on the other side of the room, trying to keep uninvolved in the situation.

As they stood there, with Kin's foot bopping up and down uncontrollably, Katara turned to Zuko and kissed him. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she whispered, "I'm so proud of you. The old Zuko would have never done this."

"The old Zuko never had you around," he admitted, caressing her tan skin with his hand before leaning down and kissing her again, a bit annoyed by the fact that they had to keep it subdued because of the two Earthbenders in the room.

A few moments passed, and from the top of the stairs, Ursa and San were heard.

"There's someone here for you, Kuma."

"Zuko? Zuko's back!"

"Not quite..."

As they continued their conversation, they made their way down the stairs. By the end of it, they were at the bottom, and Ursa was staring at Kin with wide, glassy eyes.

"K-Kin?"

"Kuma!" he cried, jumping up from his seat and embracing her tightly. Ursa wholeheartedly join in, squeezing the man to her heart's content.

"I'm so sorry!" Both Kin and Ursa said at the same time, and pulling back, they smiled and laughed heartily.

Gripping her by the arms, he looked deeply into her eyes. "Kuma, I'm so sorry for what I've put you through. I've been ridiculous about it – all I needed was a few days to blow off steam. And then your son came and drilled into my mind the reality of it – I shouldn't care about your past, just our future together."

"I'm sorry, too," she admitted, happy tears falling down her cheeks, which the Earthbender wiped away. "I should have told you the truth – but I wasn't ready at the time, and as our relationship continued on, I wasn't willing to jeopardize it by telling you about my past, because we were both so happy. I'm sorry you had to find out the way you did."

"The only thing that is important is that we're together again," Kin petted down her hair, pulling her close again. Next, he whispered quietly into her ear, "I love you, and that's never going to change."

"I love you, too," she told him, holding him close.

Katara, who had been observing the scene with Zuko, felt tears form in her own eyes and she reached up to wipe them away. She just loved happy endings!

"Hey, you okay?" Zuko looked down at her, concerned. His arm around her, he pulled her closer to him.

"I just love it when everything works out," she told him truthfully. Looking up at him, she smiled. "This is how it should be."

"Yes," Zuko looked at his mother and Kin, who were now kissing each other and mumblings incoherent things. San was behind them, tears in her own eyes and her hands clasped together. Michi was even smiling to himself, happy that his uncle was reunited with his love. "It is." He gave her a powerful look then, and Katara's heartbeat sped up before he kissed her again.

It was a different kiss, and both participants could tell. Pulling back a few moments later, the Waterbender smiled at him, her fingers tracing the muscles on his arms. "These have been an emotional last few weeks, huh?" she asked him.

Zuko laughed. "Completely." Looking over at his mother and Kin again, and then down into Katara's sparkling blue orbs, he sighed, "But I wouldn't trade them for the world..." before kissing her again.

~P~

**Author's Notes:** I have to learn how to cut down chapters again – too much happened in this chapter, and it was ridiculously long. I got distracted with this chapter, too, and really just wanted to get it finished. *was reading Zutara fanfics*

Also, it may get a bit confusing what with Kin and San referring to Ursa as "Kuma", but myself and Zuko and Katara referring to her by her proper name, but try to bear with me – I just don't think they'd stop calling her Kuma after all those years, and she wouldn't want them to stop calling her it.

Some more etymology – Umigame means Turtle, and Fusero means Duck. So the Groves' names translate to Turtle Grove and Duck Grove! This place is Turtleduck lovin' country! Kin means metal in Japanese.

Lastly, does anyone get the little double meaning of the title of this chapter? XD


	12. Exit, Ai Basho!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Avatar!

~P~

_Chapter 12 – Exit, Ai Basho!_

~P~

Kin stayed with the family from that point on, and didn't know when he would return to Umigame Grove. It was a good thing he farmed vegetables, and not animals. While he and Ursa spent plenty of time together, the entire household also, Zuko unbeknownst to the situation, prepared for the Fire Lord's upcoming birthday. The day was approaching quickly, and so the Waterbender had to finish up making her gift for him – she hoped he would enjoy it.

So, a week and a half passed, and the night before, Ursa was frantic. Zuko, at first, didn't mind their odd behaviours, but as the day came closer, they became more prevalent to the Fire Lord, and that's when he began to notice. During the days prior to his birthday, Katara didn't really pay him any attention, so that she wouldn't spill her beans, little did he know. But to the Fire Lord, it was like she was ignoring him, and he didn't understand what he had done wrong once again.

He tried to talk to her, but she just smiled at him and shook her head, so he knew that she wasn't mad at him, but still... he just didn't understand the Waterbender sometimes!

So when the day of his birth came, the Fire Lord awoke that morning with a slight smile regarding what the day was, but besides that, it was no more important than any other day. Zuko wasn't one for birthdays – he never had been. All he was was another year older – eighteen now. He didn't enjoy the needlessness of extravagant celebrations, like when he was younger or the year before when he turned seventeen shortly after the war. Last year, the entire Fire Nation had gone ballistic on their Fire Lord's seventeenth birthday, throwing superfluous parties in his honour, and while it was nice to see his country's enthusiasm, he would have rather just had a small personal party consisting of his old friends. That's the kind of celebration he liked.

He pulled himself up and out of bed and looked across the room to where Katara was sleeping – except, she wasn't. Usually, the Fire Lord was up before her, but like the last week, she had beaten him to the punch. Adjusting his eyes to the harsh sunlight of the room (he figured he got up a little later than usual, as well), he got up then and dressed himself before going downstairs, looking for his girlfriend.

Upon arriving downstairs, he didn't get a good look at the place before Katara swept him outside, kissing him. He joined in kiss, but when he pulled back, he blinked at her, surprised by her sudden actions.

"Happy birthday," she purred, arms wrapped around his neck.

A goofy grin hit his face. "Thank you. But... what was that?"

Katara giggled, before taking his hand and pulling him through the garden and to the front of the house. "Well, it _is _your special day. I think you deserve a little bit more than usual," she told him, giving him a look. "So, there'll be more where that came from."

Zuko's grin simply grew, and he captured her lips again. "Can't wait. Best birthday gift ever."

"Oh, that's not it, Sparky," Katara joked, flicking his nose. "You'll get your birthday present later."

Zuko's eyebrows rose then, and his mind began to wander to what it could possibly be, which left his face flushing. Katara noticed this and smirked before kissing him again. When they parted again, the Fire Lord's eyes drifted to the front door of the house, wanting to take her back to their room, but also partially wondering what was going on in the main area of the house. Katara noticed and shook her head teasingly. "Nuh-uh, you've got a few more hours until you can go back in there. But I can try to entertain you." Zuko nodded eagerly at that, and Katara laughed and took his hand, leading him into Ai Basho to pass some time.

~P~

A few hours later – ones filled with things Zuko wanted to never end – did the couple saunter back to Ursa and San's home with mussed up hair and satisfied looks upon their young faces.

When they were in front of the door, Katara gave him a lingering kiss before saying, "Let me just go and check..." before opening the door to the house and disappearing into it for a second. Zuko waited as he suspected he was supposed to, and when Katara appeared back outside with a bright smile on her face, did he slowly follow her back into the house.

Upon entering, did he see his mother, Kin, and San all sitting at the kitchen table, a small feast set out about it, with smiles adorning their faces. "Happy birthday, Zuko!" they called.

Zuko blinked at them, before he began beaming. _This _was exactly what he wanted in a party – it was small, and it was with the people he loved. Though he kind of suspected they were going to do something for him (what with how Katara wouldn't let him back in the house that morning, not that he minded), he was still surprised.

Looking back at his girlfriend, who smiled at him and pushed him forward, he went forth to the three others and directed his happiness towards them. "I... I'm speechless," he finally said after a few moments of silence. Looking between their faces, he said, "You didn't have to do this for me."

"But we wanted to," Katara said, coming up from behind him and placing a hand on his shoulder.

He smiled at her, and then at the others. "Thank you all so much," he told them quietly. His heart, which was swelling, felt almost too large for his chest to contain.

Ursa stood up, and hugged her son close. "Happy birthday," she told him, "I hope you enjoy this."

He hugged her back, before nodding at her. "Of course, I will." He looked down at the table then, and noticed a large bowl of Flaming Fire Flakes sitting in the middle. "Flaming Fire Flakes? I haven't had those in forever!" Zuko could barely contain his happiness as he reached across the table to grab some, and Katara rolled her eyes, but the smile still remained on her face. He had had them a month or so back when they were still in the Fire Nation – every meal, Zuko was eating them.

Ursa laughed at her son's enthusiasm, before throwing her hands up. "Well, let's eat, then!"

~P~

A few more hours passed, with the five people chattering away giddily, enjoying the overall happy presence of the room. When the foods on the table were all finished up by the bunch, they were gathered and put aside for cleaning the next day, as everyone just wanted to enjoy the day as it lasted, especially Zuko.

"You guys are the best," he told them all, smiling and motioning to each of them. "I honestly couldn't have asked for a better eighteenth birthday. Thank you."

"Aw, it was nothing," Kin waved his hand at the Fire Lord, and San nodded. Ursa placed a hand on her son's shoulder and squeezed it before returning to her spot next to Kin, and Katara leaned over and gave him a soft look.

Just as Ursa sat down, San, who seemed to be shaking in anticipation, jumped up and yelled out, "Present time!"

Zuko blinked at the woman. "Presents? Seriously? You guys definitely didn't need to—"

"Oh, just stop and accept them," Katara told him, pulling him up and to the main sofa of the room, where everyone gathered around him after gathering their presents.

From an eager San, he received a beautifully embroidered blanket and from Kin, a small, jewel-adorned Earth Kingdom dagger. He thanked the two profusely, to which they gladly accepted the gratefulness and smiled at the Fire Lord. His mother was next, and she smiled at him as she handed him a small item wrapped in emerald cloth.

Zuko peered at the item in his lap, and then at his mother. She nodded at him, and he slowly pulled apart the cloth, revealing the gift it enveloped. He gasped at its contents, swiftly looking between it and his mother. Katara looked at the present, her eyes taking in its beauty.

In the emerald cloth was a small golden Turtleduck figurine, bejewelled with rubies, emeralds, and sapphires. Zuko couldn't believe his eyes, and he managed to utter, "M-mom..."

His mother smiled at that. "You've wanted it ever since you were a child," she explained quietly.

Zuko swallowed then, and looked up at her. He remembered when he was younger, the little figurine used to be his one of his mother's most prized possession, and he always admired the one-of-a-kind thing. He used to finger at it and possessively stare at it, forbidding Azula from getting anywhere near it, in case she wanted to break it, which he always suspected she would.

Holding the delicate thing, he peered at the jewels, so familiar to him. He exchanged looks with Katara before looking back at his mother. "T-thank you," he told her, feeling as though it wasn't enough, and so placing the little figurine in Katara's capable hands carefully, he leaned over and hugged the woman tightly, trying to convey as much emotion into the embrace as he could.

"Oh, Zuko," she whispered to him, her arms wrapped around him. "You're so welcome."

He pulled back and sat down, taking the bejewelled Turtleduck from Katara, and admiring it once again, with San and Kin peering at it curiously, in awe. Zuko passed it to San to examine closer then, and she handled it with the utmost care. At that, Zuko thanked each of them again, feeling as though he couldn't give them enough gratitude in return, before the group branched off, with San still looking at the treasure, and Ursa and Kin retiring to the kitchen table to talk.

Katara and Zuko went to the other side of the room and sat on the loveseat there, in front of the roaring fire that had been created after dinner. The pair talked fondly at first, but the situation quickly turned. Zuko held her closely, and despite the fact that his mother and the others were in the room, kissed her sensually and slowly. Their kisses transcended from sweet and innocent to passionate and fuelled, and the Fire Lord wanted nothing more to take them to their room so that could participate in other, closer actions.

To his disappointment, though, Katara pulled away from his kiss and warm frame. "Before we get carried away," she told him quietly, "let me get something." He blinked at her, confused, before leaving him sitting there for a few seconds and walking up the stairs.

A few seconds later, Katara appeared on the main floor again, holding a good-sized wrapped box in her arms, smiling brightly over the top of it. She sat back down beside Zuko and passed him the gift. Beaming, she said, "I hope you like this – it's going to come in handy in the next few weeks."

Zuko smiled at her, his heart beating erratically for the girl beside him. He looked at the gift then, and slowing began to pull the wrapping apart, and when he got to the actual content, his smile grew to a grin, and he held it up.

"I told you it would come in handy," Katara nodded at him, almost laughing at his expression.

What Zuko held in his hands was a parka, in all its blue, furry glory.

"That's what I wouldn't let you see these past few weeks," Katara explained, placing a hand on his thigh. "I knew that your birthday was coming up, and I knew I wanted to give you something, obviously, but something you didn't have and something I knew you'd use. So, a parka."

Zuko looked at the masterfully sewn piece of work. It was very soft, and figured warm beyond belief, and he knew that he'd be getting great use out of it when they arrived at the North Pole. He turned to Katara after placing it down, and taking her hand in his and squeezed it, he told her with every fibre of truth in him, "Thank you, Katara, so much. I... I can't even begin tell you what this means to me. I love it."

"I'm glad," she said back with a smile. Her face was flushed, he noticed, and placing a hand on the back of her neck, he pulled her closer and kissed her again and again and again. Katara laughed at him, but joined in eagerly, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"No, seriously, Katara, thank you," he breathed against her lips before kissing her again.

"I know," she told him back, joining him in the lip lock. Very quickly, their kisses became borderline inappropriate for the area they were in, and it was, to their embarrassment, San who pointed this out.

Tapping Katara on the shoulder, San gave the Waterbender an amused look. "You two might want to, one, tone it down, or two, take it to the bedroom," the clinic owner offered, giving them an all-knowing smile, knowing which option they would opt for.

Blushing furiously, Katara took Zuko's hands and they stood up. He took the parka and folded it up and placed it on the loveseat, deciding to just come back for it later. Smiling at each other, they began to walk towards the stairs, but were stopped when Kin spoke up from behind them.

"And where do you two think you're going?"

The two teenagers froze, and turned around reluctantly. Kin was smiling at them with the same smirk San had given them. Ursa was also trying to conceal a small smile of her own.

Zuko and Katara glanced at each other, and the Fire Lord said nervously, "Um, we're just going to go to bed. You know, long day, super tired, and—"

"Right," Kin's smirk grew, and he crossed his arms. "Be smart about it." Ursa was amused, but in her eyes was also something else, and she placed a hand on her stomach.

Zuko swallowed, and when the Earthbender nodded at him, he finally turned back to Katara and taking her hand, continued to their room, where upon they locked the door and continued their lip lock. Having completely forgotten about their surroundings, only focussing solely on each other, did they find their way to Zuko's bed.

Pushing the Waterbender down gently, the Fire Lord climbed on top of her and his lips moved from hers to her cheek, and to her neck, and then to her collarbone. When he nipped at the sensitive flesh there, Katara gasped slightly at the pleasurable shocks it sent through her system. Taking her gasp as a good thing, Zuko smiled to himself and continued to kiss along the length of her collarbone, before bringing his mouth up and nipping at her earlobes, too.

As he kissed away at her, Katara took this time to explore the Fire Lord's muscular body. Running her hands over her arms, she felt at each rock hard muscle. Zuko began to suck on her neck then, gaining him yet another gasp. She pulled her hands to his front now, and tried to put her hands under it so she could feel at his chest. Zuko noticed this, and for a brief second, pulled away from where he had been suckling to remove his shirt for his Katara. She smiled at him before he went back to her neck, and she gladly slid her hands over his pectorals. Though his muscles were deeply developed, his skin was soft, that is, until she came to a particular area on his chest – his scar. Gently, Katara's fingers fluttered over the area, and Zuko pulled away from her neck again and gave her an intense look. She felt at the wound, which was still bright red despite the fact that it was nearly two years old.

"Does it still hurt?" she asked him quietly.

Zuko was silent for a second before shaking his head, still saying nothing. She nodded at him and gave him a smile, before leaning over and kissing her lips. This time, Katara began to take over, and she bit down on them, causing the Fire Lord to deepen the kiss by throwing his tongue in the mix. While doing so, her hands raked down his bare back, causing the Fire Lord to moan appreciatively into her mouth, which only encouraged her to continue.

Zuko's hands travelled down her sides then, and bringing them back up, landed closely to her breasts. Katara didn't mind this, and was surprised by her attitude. In fact, she was a bit surprised by her behaviour in general. She never acted this way with Aang – though it wasn't like she could, with him still being very naive and have been raised by monks. Also, the Waterbender just didn't see herself being able to do such _things_ with the Avatar, anyhow. There was just something there that was preventing it for her. But with Zuko, there was no holding back. He was all fire and passion, and he was showing her this as he trailed fiery kisses over her jaw line. And she loved it.

Slowly, uncertainly then, did Zuko's hand move closer to her breast, and when he placed it on top, Katara stopped. Zuko froze along with the woman, and she pulled away and they looked at each other. Zuko's eyes conveyed caring and tenderness, but at the same time an insatiable passion, while Katara's were bright, curious, and willing. Nodding at him, the Fire Lord smiled slightly, and the Katara began to kiss him again. Zuko held one hand upon her breast, while the other hand supported his weight above her. The Fire Lord felt at Katara gently, causing her to arch into him and moan quietly as she bit his tongue.

Katara pulled away from Zuko's mouth then and began to kiss her way down his neck as he had to her, but gentler and slower, evoking happy moans from the Fire Lord. When she got down his chest, she kissed each of his pectorals, her lips on fire and leaving a burning trail across his sensitive skin.

"Katara..." the Fire Lord hissed.

She smiled at his reaction, before leaning down and kissing tenderly at his scar. She looked up at him before capturing his lips in a kiss again, suddenly overcome with raw passion. Hands in his hair, she wrapped her legs around him, and was not surprised by the hardness she felt in the Fire Lord's pants. They knew what their actions were leading up to. The Fire Lord flipped the Southern Water Tribe Princess so that she was on top of him now, and he kissed her burning lips, relishing their feel against his. The hand that had been on her breast now moved to her but, where it stay, planted firmly.

Their actions continued for a short while longer, before Zuko flipped himself back on top again and placed his hand on her breast again. At that, Katara sat up and allowed for the Fire Lord to remove her long blue shirt, revealing her traditional Water Tribe breast bindings beneath. He admired her for a few seconds, before kissing at the skin closest to the breast he was holding. At this, the Waterbender's confidence from before began to fall, and she quickly became apprehensive to the idea that she knew was running through Zuko's head. She knew she wasn't ready yet, especially not under the circumstances that they were in, relationship-wise. She was all for passionate kissing and displays of affection, but sex? She wasn't quite there yet.

When Zuko's hand moved from her breast to her back, where the binding could be unravelled from, Katara pulled away from his intense kisses and placed her hands on his arms firmly, stopping him.

"Are you okay?" the Fire Lord asked, bringing his hand from her back to her face, where he cradled her cheek and brushed away her hair. He was concerned now – he would not go through with this if Katara didn't want him to.

Katara bit back tears – she couldn't believe she had let herself get so carried away... but it just felt so damn good, and it was something that Aang couldn't and wouldn't give to her, which was just pure passion.

"Z-Zuko," she breathed out shakily. "I'm... I'm not ready. I'm sorry." He could see the tears forming in her eyes, and would do anything to stop them.

Zuko smiled softly at her, and while he was a bit disappointed, he understood her situation. He kissed her gently and said, "It's okay, Katara... we don't have to do this."

"Just not now... but..." Katara smiled back at him, still resisting tears. She didn't want him to feel any worse that she knew she had made him – it was still his birthday, after all. But the respect and love he was showing her was overwhelming, paired with just the general flood of emotions she was feeling, and she couldn't help it when a tear fell down her cheek, which Zuko wiped away within seconds. "But... someday."

Zuko nodded then, and with one more soft, lingering kiss, which both enjoyed thoroughly, did he roll off of her and onto his side. The pair laid there for a long while, just holding each other and caressing gently, no words spoken between them. They stared at each other, their gazes unyielding, powerful, and intense.

Eventually, her emotions and general tiredness got the better of her, and Katara yawned and her eyelids drooped. Smiling to herself, she cuddled closer to Zuko, who gladly took her in his arms.

Yawning again and sidling up closer to him, she whispered, "Thank you, Zuko. Happy birthday." Her eyes closed then, and she quickly succumbed to sleep.

Pulling his hands through her hair and smiling, Zuko said back, "No, Katara, thank you." The Fire Lord fell asleep then, his lover situated comfortably in his arms, snoozing away.

~P~

A few more days passed uneventfully after that, and it occurred to Katara just how long her and Zuko had been staying in Ai Basho – nearly a month and a half. Then again, he hadn't seen his mother in years...

When the Waterbender brought this up to Zuko, he actually agreed. Though he loved that had found his mother and gotten to spend some time with her, they had to get on with their original purpose of the journey, despite how much more time he wanted to spend with Ursa. After a bit of talking one night, the pair decided that within the next week, they would leave for the North Pole again.

The night that they decided to go, Katara had gone to the main floor to look for San so that she could tell the woman, whereas Zuko was going to tell his mother the next day. While looking around the spacious room, she couldn't find the clinic owner anywhere.

"San?" she called, looking around the premise again. "San?"

At that, Katara turned when she heard two voices coming from the back porch. She recognized them as Ursa and Kin, and against her better judgement, she walked up to the backdoor and peered through the netting at the couple, listening to their whispers intently.

Kin had just finished giving Ursa a kiss, which had left the ex-Fire Princess slightly breathless. She smiled at Kin, her fingers interlacing with his. "I love you," she whispered, and he smiled.

"I love you so much, as well, my Kuma," he told her back, petting back her soft, black hair. He pressed his forehead to hers then and nuzzled his nose against her, and Katara's heart softened at the extremely happy couple. "There is nothing I wouldn't do to keep you here with me, Kuma. I want to be with you for the rest of my life and... so, that's why..." The Earthbender pulled away from his lover and reached at a place for something that Katara could not see, and a few seconds later, a gasp was heard from the ex-Fire Princess, her hands up to her face.

Katara moved so she could see what Kin was doing better, and she had to suppress her own gasp when she saw him down on one knee, holding an ornate hair decoration in his hands up to her.

"So, that's why I'm asking you, Kuma, will you marry me?" the Earthbender's eyes were wide, questioning, and full of love. Ursa's eyes were gleaming out of happiness, filled with tears.

Throwing herself at Kin and wrapping her arms her arms around his neck, she nodded and whispered, "Yes. A thousand times, yes!"

Kin's face lit up then, and the biggest grin ever sat upon his lips. Closing his eyes, he wrapped his own arms around her and held her tightly against him. A few minutes passed, and they pulled back and looked at each other intensely, before coming together again to kiss deeply. When the pulled back again, did Kin walk up behind Ursa and place the hair ornament in her hair, showing that she was now engaged.

Ursa's hands fluttered up to the hairpiece and she touched it gingerly, as if to prove to herself that it was real. Looking back at Kin, the two kissed again, and Katara brought a hand to her chest where her heart was, truly touched by the scene. She wondered briefly, and with a dreamy smile on her face, if Zuko would one day be the man on one knee in front of her asking her those same words...

A few minutes passed where Kin and Ursa just stared at each other lovingly. Ursa broke eye contact with him eventually, and smiling to herself, she took his hand in his and said quietly, "I have a surprise for you myself."

Kin blinked at her, confused as to what it could possibly be. Smiling knowingly at him, she took the hand she was holding and placed it on her stomach. "You're going to be a daddy," she finally admitted, and waited for his reaction, hoping that it would be akin to hers to the engagement.

Kin's eyes widened to the size of saucers, blinking incredulously. Ursa laughed at the Earthbender's reaction, and after a few moments of gawking, his hand still pressed firmly to her stomach, did he say, "R-really?"

Nodding eagerly, Ursa pressed a kiss to his cheek. "I'm just about three months, according to San."

He looked between her eyes and where his hand rested then, before a large grin broke out on his face again. "Dammit, I love you so much," he mumbled before pressing another deep kiss to his new fiancée's lips. His hands moved to her bum, where they stayed, and at that, Katara pulled away from the door as silently as she could so as to give them some privacy, all the time smiling giddily to herself. She was just so happy for them!

It struck her, though, as she walked up the stairs to her and Zuko's room, how this would affect the Fire Lord if and when he found out, which he obviously would. So much was happening so quickly that Zuko _didn't _know. But her concern for him was overridden by her previous happiness for the couple – Zuko would understand, she just knew it...

She certainly hoped he would.

~P~

Two days later, after Katara had spoken to San about leaving, did Zuko gain the courage to tell his mother that he would be leaving her once again. He hadn't told Katara, but he hoped that upon finishing their business at the North Pole, that his mother would want to come back to the Fire Nation with him – she could even bring Kin and San, too.

So on the morning of the second day, did he walk up to his mother in the deserted first floor of the house. Katara, Kin, and San had gone to the market for the time being, and this was a prime time for Zuko to talk to his mother about leaving.

"Hey, mom," he called softly at her, sitting beside her on the sofa. "I need to talk to you about something."

Looking up at him, she smiled. "Oh, Zuko," she said, "I've been meaning to talk to you, too..." At that, the ex-Fire Princess began to wring her hands. She didn't know how her son was going to take her news at all! Deciding she would tell him second, she nodded her head at him for him to go.

Putting a hand to the back of his head, Zuko looked around the room, refusing to make eye contact with the woman. "Um," he started, "well, you know, we've been staying with you guys here for a while now." Ursa nodded again. "And Katara and I were talking a few days ago and decided that it was, uh, just about time that we carried on with our journey again. What I'm saying, mom, is that Katara and I are going to be leaving soon... like, within the next few days." At that, he finally made eye contact with his mother, who was frowning.

"Oh," was all Ursa could manage. That's not what she had been expecting, but at the same time, she knew that he and Katara had other reasons to be travelling together besides just finding her. But still, she didn't want her little boy to leave just yet!

"Yeah," murmured Zuko. "And I was wondering, at the same time, if... if you and the others would like to come back to the Fire Nation with us. I mean, now that I'm Fire Lord, I can restore your title and you all can live in the Palace with me! I—"

Ursa placed a hand on her son's folded ones, a small smile on her face. Zuko swallowed upon seeing it – he knew what her response would, unfortunately, be.

"I-I'm sorry, Zuko," the ex-Fire Princess spoke. "But I love living here in the Earth Kingdom. Ai Basho is my home now, not the Fire Nation capital. I will always love my Fire Nation roots, but now, I'm a part of the Earth Kingdom, as well. Please, try to understand."

Zuko blinked back tears, and turned away from his mother. "N-no, I do, I do. Your family's here now, not in the Fire Nation."

"Not true," Ursa told him softly, taking his hand in hers. "Zuko..."

"No, I really do understand," the Fire Lord nodded then, expertly cutting off his true emotions. He could vent to Katara later if he needed – the Waterbender was always there for him. But to some extent, he did truly understand his mother's decision – she had spent the last five years of her life in the small town of Ai Basho, and had learned to love it. She had met her love and best friend there, and she didn't want that to change by going back to the old lifestyle that she had abhorred. But at the same time, the more defiant side of Zuko didn't _want _to understand his mother – why couldn't she just see he wanted things to go back to normal, even though they never could? A few quiet moments passed between them, and smiling falsely, Zuko then said, "What did you want to talk to me about?"

Ursa looked at the floor, an uncertain look in her eyes. Was she ready to tell him about her engagement and pregnancy? But then again, when else would she tell him, if he was going to leave in several days! "Z-Zuko," she began shakily, squeezing his hand tightly, "I've got some pretty big news to tell you."

Zuko blinked at her, his eyes curious. "What? What is it?"

Ursa couldn't help but hold back the small smile that appeared on her face as she said, pointing to her hair, "I'm engaged – to Kin, of course." Zuko blinked again, his heart stopping. He looked up her hair, and noticed the hair ornament embedded in the bun atop her head. It was most definitely an Earth Kingdom proposal item. Zuko was about to open his mouth to say something about what he thought, when his mother then blurted out, "And I'm pregnant."

At that, Zuko's world seemed to spiral out of control. He felt sick all of a sudden – it was too much to process at once. His mother was... _pregnant_? When the hell did that happen? The Fire Lord began to feel faint then and his palms became sweaty, causing him to pull them away from his mother's hand, earning him a very concerned look. He could no longer deny himself and it was causing the Fire Lord to become dizzy.

"Zuko, are you okay?" his mother asked, reaching for his hands again, but he pulled them away.

"I... I'm fine," he lied again, though he blatantly wasn't. He looked at his mother's face then through clouded eyes – his mother's own eyes were sad at her son's reaction. Though she knew that more likely than not he wouldn't take this news well, she figured that at least a small portion of him would be happy for her.

And even though Zuko was panicking, a part of him w_as _happy for the woman. Kin made his mother indescribably happy, despite how Zuko wanted to look at that, and like he had stated before, this made him, in turn, happy.

The Fire Lord's mouth opened once again to speak, but he was interrupted when the front door opened and revealed Katara and the others. He instantly shot her a desperate look, and her happy expression fell. "Hey, guys," she placed down her basket and walked halfway across the room, looking between mother and son. "What's going on?"

"My mother, uh, just told me... she's engaged... and pregnant," Zuko forced a smile to the Waterbender, and she caught his unsteadiness.

Katara pretended she didn't know and gave a happy expression to the woman. "Oh, congratulations!" she smiled and Ursa smiled back.

"Thank you, Katara."

Zuko looked in between the two women, silently beckoning Katara to help him. Taking a seat next to the Fire Lord, Katara took his hand and squeezed it, and he felt immediately better. "How do you feel about that, Zuko? Aren't you happy for your mother and Kin?" The Waterbender gave him a look, silently pleading with him.

Zuko breathed in then, and closed his eyes momentarily to compose himself. Of course he was happy, but he was scared, too. For a few seconds, though, just for his mother, did he let his happy side for her take over. "Of course, I am, Katara," he smiled genuinely for a few brief moments, flashing it towards his mother whose face relaxed. "How could I not be? It's a little surprising but..." he looked between Kin, Ursa, and Katara, "...I'm still glad for them both. Congratulations, mom, Kin."

Ursa smiled at her son, and so did Kin. "Thanks, Zuko," the burly Earthbender grinned, walking over to Ursa and wrapping his arms around her. They smiled up at each other and Kin placed a hand on Ursa's stomach, and at that, Zuko's facade broke down. Turning to Katara, he stood up quickly, pulling the Waterbender along with him towards the stairs.

"Well, uh, Katara and I have some things to discuss," he fibbed, and before anyone could question him, were they up in their room, door locked.

Taking a few minutes to compose himself, Zuko closed his eyes and breathed in and out deeply, his dizziness taking over him again.

Placing a hand on his shoulder, Katara gave him a concerned look. "Zuko, are you okay? Seriously, you—"

Katara was cut off when Zuko pulled her into a tight hug, as though he were holding on to her – the seemingly one constant in his life – for dear life. "Katara," he murmured into her shoulder. "Too much is happening, too quickly. It's not fair. Why can't something just be constant for me for once?" She felt her sleeve go wet, and that's when the Waterbender realized that he was crying. He was just so confused!

Wrapping her arms around him, she murmured to him, "I know."

After what felt like an eternity, Katara managed to pull away from Zuko long enough to get a good look at his face. His one eye was red, brimming with fresh tears. When one fell, like the night of his birthday when he did it to her, she wiped away his tear with her thumb. It was rare for Zuko to be so intensely confused – she knew he felt helpless to the situation his mother was in. But the Fire Lord was now, and Katara would do anything to make his pain and confusion go away, but she knew she couldn't, and so she settled for holding him closely.

"But remember, Zuko, I'm not going to go anywhere," she told him truthfully. "I'll always be around for you, whenever you need me."

Zuko clung to her tighter then, and whispered, "Thank you."

~P~

Yet another two days passed, in which Zuko didn't speak to anyone but Katara and he spent the majority of the time lying on his bed, thinking to himself. He analysed his mother's situation with a clearer head now, having vented quite thoroughly to Katara that night. It was understandable that he was upset by all of the sudden changes in his life, but at the same time, he was happy for his mother's newfound joy. He was going to gain a step-father and a new sibling in a few months, something that was almost unfathomable to him, but at the same time brought a smile to his face.

The night before the day he was to leave, as he cuddled with a snoozing Katara, did he finally begin to accept the situation. He was genuinely happy for his mother and Kin, and while it would take some time to adjust fully, he knew he could do it. Not just for himself, but for Katara, too.

And he would make this known that next morning.

~P~

Katara and Zuko arose extra early that morning and packed up their belongings. They went to the stable Appa had been happily staying at, and gathered the lethargic beast who slept in front of Ursa and San's house until they were ready to leave.

After a quiet breakfast, the group gathered outside for their round of goodbyes. Placing their things on Appa's saddle, Zuko hopped down beside Katara then, and nodding at her, he turned to his mother and Kin.

Pulling them off the side as Katara said her goodbye to San, he spoke. "I wanted to congratulate you two again, this time... properly," he said, smiling and outstretching his hands to the couple. "I'm sorry about my behaviour when you first told me, mom... but it was a lot to take in. Like, a lot. But I want you to know how happy I am for both of you – you both deserve it. So, congratulations... again!"

Ursa's smiled then, and then her eyes began to tear up, and she stepped forward and embraced her son. "Oh, Zuko, I love you," she mumbled into his ear repeatedly.

"I love you, too, mom," he told her back, hugging her, closing his eyes. A few minutes later, he peered at Kin over his mother's shoulder, who was smiling at him.

Pulling away from his mother, he walked up to Kin. "I hope that one day I will have the ability to convey how much I love Katara to her like you do daily to my mother," he told the man truthfully. He looked over at the Waterbender then, who was hugging San, and once again thought about his future with her.

"I think you already do," Kin said then, interrupting Zuko's thoughts of his girlfriend. "Katara is a lucky girl to have you in her life."

"I think it's the other way around," Zuko laughed, peering back at the girl and flashing her a brilliant smile.

Kin joined in and then looked at his beloved Ursa. "Well, I'm lucky to have your mother in mine."

"I think you're both lucky to have each other," Zuko admitted softly, looking at the ground.

"Thank you, Zuko," Kin said after a few minutes before boldly stepping forward and hugging his future stepson.

Zuko stiffened, but then relaxed slowly and gave the older man a slight hug back before they released each other. They nodded at each other and smiled then, before the Fire Lord looked back at his mother, who was tearing up.

"I'm going to miss you," she said quietly after a moment, taking her son in her arms again.

"Same, mom," he admitted. He felt as though they were leaving each other all over again, and they had just found each other! "But I promise, I, hopefully along with Katara, will visit frequently."

"You better!" his mother cried, pulling away and revealing the tears in her eyes. Zuko felt bad about leaving his mother again, but he knew that he and Katara had to carry on.

He smiled sadly then. "I will, mom, I will." Placing a hand on his mother's stomach then, he smiled. "I'll be back when this little one is born, too." Ursa smiled down at her son as he stood back up.

Zuko looked over at Katara and San then, who seemed to be done with their goodbyes, and so kissing his mother on the cheek and nodding and sending a smile Kin's way, did the two switch groups for saying farewell.

"Katara," Ursa said warmly, embracing the Waterbender as she approached her. "I'm going to miss you ridiculously – you're like the daughter I never had." Katara blushed at this – Ursa was sort of like the mother she barely had.

Squeezing the woman in her arms, the Waterbender said back, "I'm going to miss you, too."

Pulling back, they smiled at each other and then Katara turned to Kin, who was smiling in a fatherly fashion. "Goodbye, Katara," he told her, giving her the same brief hug he did with Zuko.

"See you soon, Kin," she gave the large Earthbender a smile. She was about to turn to Zuko then when Ursa took her hand and pulled her even further away from the group.

"Katara," she gave the Waterbender an intense look. "I want to give you something – something to remember me by."

"Oh, Ursa," Katara waved her hand. "You don't have to – I'm going to visit, you know that, right?"

"I know, but still." At that, Ursa's hands went to her neck and pulled something off. The ex-Fire Princess revealed it to be a golden chained pendant with a ruby at the end of it, the Fire Nation insignia engraved into it. "I want you to have this," she told her, placing the delicate necklace in Katara's shaking hands.

"I-I couldn't, Ursa," Katara tried to protest, gawking at the beautiful piece of jewellery.

"But I want you to have it," Ursa told her, taking the Waterbender's fingers and pressing them firmly around the necklace. "It's been in my family for a hundred years, and it's supposed to be passed down from mother to daughter each generation. It was what my grandfather – Avatar Roku – used to propose to my grandmother, Ta Min. I honestly couldn't give something this important to Azula if I tried. You're more of a daughter than she is to me – so I want you to have this. My mother gave it to me, and now I'm giving it to you."

Katara's fingers uncurled to peer at the necklace, and then back at the woman who gave it to her. "U-Ursa... th-thank you," Katara felt tears begin to fill her eyes at how gentle this woman was being with her. She really looked up to and respected her. Holding the piece of jewellery up then, the Waterbender admired it in the sunlight before placing it around her neck.

"Beautiful," Ursa smiled at Katara, before pulling her into another tight hug that lasted longer than the one before. Pulling back, she placed a motherly kiss on the girl's nose. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

With one final hug, the two gathered back with the group, Ursa going to Kin and Katara to Zuko.

"You about ready to go?" he asked her, and then he noticed her necklace and looked back at his mother and smiled. He remembered the necklace from his youth, and how Azula always wanted. She nodded at him, and turning to Appa, was about to hop on when a voice stopped her.

"Wait! Katara, Zuko!"

Both the Firebender and Waterbender turned to see a familiar face running towards them, waving his hands.

Katara smiled, and even Zuko did a bit. Stepping down, Katara said, "Michi."

Said Earthbender stopped in front of the couple, catching his breath. "I heard you two were leaving, and I wanted to say goodbye," he admitted, cracking a crooked smile at the pair.

"I'm glad you're here, Michi," Katara leaned forward and gave the Earthbender a hug.

Hugging her back, he said, "See you, Katara."

"Hey, I'll be back," she smiled at him, and his face flushed. Zuko frowned, and Katara giggled between his jealousy and Michi's apparent feelings for her.

Zuko stepped forward then, and outstretched his hand to the Earthbender. Michi shook it firmly, giving the Fire Lord a nod which was returned. Upon releasing Michi's hand, Zuko turned to Katara, who smiled at him before climbing onto Appa's saddle.

Peering at the group that was his mother, San, and Kin, Zuko smiled at them before joining Katara. Taking Appa's reins in his hands, Zuko called out "Yip, yip!" and the flying bison slowly rose into the air. He and Katara took this as a chance to wave at everyone one last time, which they all returned.

"Goodbye!" Zuko called out to them all.

"We'll visit soon, we promise!" Katara shouted down at them. And at that, they were off and flying away from the little Earth Kingdom town of Ai Basho.

After flying for a few minutes, Katara joined Zuko on Appa's head, enjoying the breeze in her hair as she toyed with the Fire Nation necklace around her neck. Zuko smiled at her when she looked at him, and wrapped an arm around her before kissing her.

"Hey, Zuko," she spoke up after a few moments of sidling up into his side. Zuko cocked an eyebrow in question at her, and she continued. "Do you think... you could annul your mother and father's marriage when we get back to the Fire Nation? You know, so that when Ursa and Kin get married... it's the real thing? I figure she kind of wanted to ask you, but couldn't bring herself to."

Zuko blinked at Katara, before nodding. "Of course."

Katara smiled gratefully at him then, before cuddling closer to him. Pulling his hand through her hair, he kissed her cheek and gave her a powerful look that made her breath hitch in her throat. He continued to kiss her, deeply, slowly, sensually, lovingly, until the pair found themselves sprawled out over Appa's saddle, peering up at each other.

Touching his arm, Katara breathed, "Zuko..."

Kissing closer to her mouth, but not directly against it, Zuko mumbled, "Yeah?"

"I..." _I love you_, she thought, but was unable to vocalize. She had fallen for the Fire Lord, and that was final. She was in love with him. But instead of admitting it, she settled for, "It's nothing." She was still somewhat scared of her feelings for the man above her, though.

Smiling a smile that made her stomach twist with butterflies, Zuko leaned down and kissed her again, and for a few short seconds, like every time he kissed her, did those fears flutter away.

~P~

**Author's Notes: **FFFFFFFFF- Y U SO AWKWARD TO WRITE, SEXY SCENE? Blargh! There may or may not be a few lemony scenes later on in this story... I'm still debating on that one. I might lead up to the lemon moment and then skip ahead to the next morning or something, implying it did happen but that it wasn't written out, or maybe I'll actually write the physical aspects of it... I don't know yet. I've only ever written one lemon, which I think turned out atrociously, but you never know. I guess it's more so of what y'all wanna read – actual lemon or just implied lemon? You decide – I'm pretty much fine with either or!

I've decided that Zuko's going to refer to Katara as his girlfriend, because he doesn't consider Mai it anymore.

In the next chapter, they'll be at the North Pole! Whoo!


	13. The Northern Water Tribe's Issue

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Avatar.

~P~

_Chapter 13 – The Northern Water Tribe's Issue_

~P~

It took three more weeks, but Katara and Zuko, early one morning, saw the outline of the Northern Water Tribe city. The Firebender was elated to see it, but at the same time uneasy, causing him to cuddle up to his girlfriend – he still hadn't fully adjusted to the cold and probably never would. He had resorted to wearing his parka a few days earlier, heating himself through his Firebending, and cuddling up to Katara for warmth. But still, the Fire Lord was miserable. And now that the pair finally had the city in their sights, a pit of nervousness was growing in his stomach.

Katara noticed this, and with a smile, patted his arm.

"They're not going to allow me in, are they?" Zuko asked suddenly then, and Katara gave him a look. The Fire Lord's mind, over the last few days, had conjured up every reason as to why they _shouldn't _let him in – well, first off, his nation had nearly destroyed their entire city, despite that being Zhao's doing. Secondly, he had caused every Waterbender to be put in grave danger when he stole Aang, and, thirdly, both Water Tribes had every reason to generally hate him. The only reason he would get in at all was Katara, and he knew that. If he was to be accepted happily among the Northern Water Tribe, he'd have to work for it. But how would the Fire Lord go about that?

"Sure, they will," she took his gloved hand and squeezed it, giving him a reassuring look. "You're not the one who threatened their city – Zhao did. And he died for that. The Northern Water Tribe people aren't one to keep grudges, Zuko. I promise you that. But, if all else fails," she elbowed him playfully then, "I'll be there to protect you from the big scary Waterbenders." Katara's smile made the Fire Lord relax significantly, and he nodded at her and smiled back uneasily, but there was still a little part of his mind nipping at him about the inevitable prejudice he would face upon his entering the city. Oh, well, he'd just have to face it with pride and open arms. He did kind of deserve it, after all...

Roughly a half an hour later did the pair and Appa approach the well-guarded and maintained gates of the city. Katara waved at the stoic guardsmen as though they were old friends, and dropping their defensive positions, waved back at the Waterbender and let them in without any trouble. Zuko figured this was because he hid his face – they didn't know who this stranger with the Princess of the Southern Water Tribe was quite yet, and he intended on keeping it that way for as long as possible. He knew that his eyes and skin tone were a dead giveaway, however. Not to mention that he was the only Firebender amongst Waterbenders.

Appa landed in the wide canals of the city after flying over the massive wall that protected it, and floated along it at a leisurely pace.

"So, uh, where are we going?" Zuko asked, latching onto Katara's shoulder. He was shaking in the environment – out of being both cold and nervous about the citizens' thoughts on him, and she felt bad for him.

"To Chief Arnook's first," she explained, taking his hand again and just holding it there so as to try to calm him down. "Just to inform him that we're in the city and request a place to stay – and then we'll go from there."

The trip to Arnook's home was a bit too long for the young Firebender, who got more and more jittery the longer it took. Katara sighed and shook her head at him – Zuko was a proud man around those he didn't know so well, and so to be so out of his element right then was literally freaking him out to his core. It was concerning for her, and she vowed to make him feel as comfortable as possible in his new environment as soon as they settled down. Maybe she could even take him to the hot springs...

As they drifted down the canal, Katara looked around the city. It still looked the same as it did two years beforehand – frozen and blue. But one thing that struck the Waterbender was that it was less lively – where were all the cheery families, hunting men, giggling women and children? Where were all the other Waterbenders at? The pathways and bridges on the sides and above the canal were mostly deserted save for a few select children and mothers. It was odd, considering the last time she had been there, there had been a wealth of people bustling about the city.

A few minutes later, the pair arrived at a small field of ice, and at the other side of it was a house slightly bigger than the rest of the villagers. Katara and Zuko hopped off of Appa, who floated back and forth along the long canal to entertain himself. "We're here," Katara motioned to the ice home, and Zuko trudged forward reluctantly. The closer they got to the house, the more he convinced himself that he was going to get kicked out of the city.

Knocking at the side of the ice hut, Katara waited patiently for Arnook – if he was home at all – and squeezed Zuko's hand. It'd be fine, she'd show him.

A few moments passed before the Chief of the city arrived at the door. Blinking his old eyes, his face brightened when he recognized Katara. "My, Katara!" he outstretched his hand welcomingly. "What are you doing here in the North Pole? Last time I heard, you were staying in the Western Air Temple!"

"That was a few months back," she smiled at the man, and Zuko hid behind her. "I'm actually here on... business, if you will." She stepped to the side and revealed Zuko to Arnook. "Fire Lord's official request," she joked.

"Fire Lord?" Arnook's bad eyes adjusted to Zuko's face, and while his eyes glinted just a bit, Zuko could see no hostility in the older man's face. "So he's here with you, I see. What is it that he is requesting?"

Katara answered softly, "He asked me if I could heal his scars – mostly _that _one, though." The Waterbender didn't have to point out the Fire Lord's obvious eye scar, even Arnook's aged vision could make it out. "They plague him with memories of his past and he wants to be rid of them. I figure that the special properties of the Spirit Water will be powerful enough to fully heal them."

At that, Arnook turned his attention from Katara to Zuko, who swallowed. The old tribe chief scrutinized the young man, arms crossed, stare unwavering, and it was making Zuko uncomfortable. Shifting a bit, the Fire Lord's mind raced a mile a minute. _He's going to send me home – coming here was a waste of time!_ he thought frantically.

Nodding then, Arnook smiled at Katara. "I approve. I trust you, Katara, and while my people and I are still bitter about _your _nation's attack on us—" The chief pointed at Zuko, "—we know that you did not instigate it. From what we've heard this last year, you are an honourable boy, and I hope that you can live up to that and keep this newfound trust I have in you and your nation, Fire Lord."

Zuko released a breath he didn't know he had been holding then, and a crooked smile broke out on his face. Bowing in a Fire Nation-like fashion, Zuko beamed at the older man. "Thank you, sir. I will not disappoint you, I promise."

"While I, myself, have placed my trust in you," Arnook continued from his last little spiel. "My people may not be as inviting – they are still angry at that attack on us two years ago. You'll have to earn their respect for yourself – I can keep you safe from their wrath, but their hostilities towards you are not something I can prevent."

Zuko nodded. "I understand perfectly. I will work for their trust."

Katara beamed between the Chief and Fire Lord. "Thank you, Chief Arnook."

Arnook smiled again. "Think of it as repaying the favour of protecting our city." Looking between the two then, he crossed his arms again. "Now, you two will need a place to stay... would you two prefer to share a room or would you like separate ones?"

"Sharing is good," Katara smiled as she wrapped an arm around Zuko's, causing him to blush a bit.

Arnook nodded at this, and walking out of his home, he motioned with his hands for them to follow him. "I'll show you where you'll be staying, then."

Following the man, Katara nudged Zuko and smiled. "I _told _you." The Fire Lord simply smiled back and squeezed her hand.

Walking across the ice field in front of his ice home upon exiting it, Arnook pointed at Appa, who was now at the end of the canal. "May I?" Katara nodded, and they all mounted on the beast as he drifted in the directions the chief pointed. As they floated along, the thought of the lack of villagers struck Katara again, and she voiced this.

"Chief Arnook, where is everybody?"

The man turned and looked at her, a distressed look in his old eyes. "Well, the majority of the Waterbenders in the city are... are treating the newest influx of patients at the infirmary." His eyes looked to the ground then, his demeanour downcast.

Katara blinked, confused. "What happened to them that requires so many healers?" she inquired, concerned.

Arnook sighed heavily. "Well, you see, Katara, over these last few weeks, my people have been getting... attacked every few nights. It's been getting out of hand lately."

Katara gave him a look. "You mean you haven't caught the attacker yet?" The Chief of the city shook his head sadly. "But the Northern Water Tribe has one of the best defence systems in the entire world – how does he get in at night without getting caught?"

Arnook gave her a distraught look then. "The reason we haven't caught the attacker yet is because they are not human – they are of a spiritual type. And a malevolent one, at that. But no one knows what spirit it could possibly be – we don't have myths of these kinds of particular... occurrences. We have no information to even begin forming a plan of offense off of."

From the point that Arnook mentioned that the attacker was of the "spiritual type", Zuko had been blinking incredulously at the man. "Whatever it is, it_ can't_ be a 'spiritual' attacker," the Fire Lord reasoned to the small group, using air brackets on the word 'spiritual'. Arnook glowered at him faintly. "That doesn't make sense – I was raised to believe that everything has a logical explanation, and so there has to be one here, too. It's probably just an animal if it doesn't appear human. I assure you, Arnook."

Arnook shook his head and then pinched the bridge of his nose, letting out a stressed huff. "If you want proof, Fire Lord Zuko," he breathed, "then I will show you. This is no ordinary attacker."

Zuko raised his eyebrow at the man, but said nothing more. The three floated a little while longer, before Arnook commanded Appa to stop, and they all dismounted the flying bison. The chief motioned for them to follow him sombrely, and they did so, silence cast between them. After a few moments of walking, they arrived at a large building that Katara recognized at the infirmary. Arnook brought up a hand to halt them for a second, and walking forward into the building behind a pelt that acted as a barrier from the cold, he exchanged a few quiet words with someone inside before returning to them again and ushering them inside.

Katara and Zuko walked into the large room silently, and when they caught sight of not only the sheer amount of people in it, but their conditions, did their breaths hitch in their throats. Men and women around their age and older littered the room, and on beds were the injured – if that was the proper word to use – people, mostly women. But it was what was so clearly _wrong _with these people that shocked and sickened the Fire Lord and Waterbender. Their faces were _missing_.

"What..." Zuko trailed, swallowing the lump in his throat. "What the hell happened to them?"

Arnook frowned. "Like I said, they were attacked."

All Zuko could do is blink, and look back and forth between the patients and Katara, who looked equally distressed by the situation. The only difference between the Fire Lord and the Waterbender was that she had a pretty good idea of _who _had done this.

Koh the Face Stealer.

Aang had told Katara about the malevolent demon before. He told her how if you made even the slightest facial expression around him, that he would steal your face for forever. The only way to avoid this fate was to keep a blank expression when around him, or conceal your face significantly – thankfully, if one covered the majority of their face, they would be protected from Koh's wrath.

This was obviously horrifying to the Waterbender. He freaking took away their faces, leaving them for death! How was that not terrifying? But still, one more little thing crept into Katara's mind as she processed the situation at hand – how did Koh arrive in the physical world in the first place? Being a demon, he would need a physical form to do so, which he did not, so how did he get to the Northern Water Tribe to steal faces to begin with?

Yes. Katara knew it was Koh. But how, she didn't quite know yet.

Zuko watched the girl's eyes as they peered at the ground pensively, analytical. He knew she had an idea – he could see her eyes lighting up. Katara knew something, and the Fire Lord, being utterly confused by the horrors before him, would have to question her about it later that day.

"The last attack was last night, actually," Arnook said suddenly then, breaking Katara out of her thoughts. "They just keep getting worse and worse. Each time, he keeps taking more faces, and we can't stop him!" The Chief looked worn and helpless and both Benders knew they would do anything to help him.

"Arnook," Katara placed her hand on his shoulder. "Zuko and I will help as much as we can. We'll get to the bottom of this, I promise." She looked over at the Fire Lord, who nodded at her without any hesitance. Arnook looked up at her and smiled forcedly, before nodding at a healer, and exiting the infirmary. The two followed him, but not before catching the sobbing faces of the lovers whose faces had the liberty of not being taken. Both felt sickened by it all.

The older man sighed heavily as they exited, and said quietly to himself, "I don't know if there _is _anything we can do..." He hadn't meant for anyone to hear it, but Zuko had, and his chest clenched. Arnook just wanted to protect his Tribe, just like Zuko wanted to protect his country. But he felt as though he couldn't, and Zuko knew that this was a gut-wrenching feeling. This only strengthened his resolve to help the Northern Water Tribe.

Katara and Zuko looked at each other briefly, concern flowing between them, before turning to look at Arnook. They said nothing as they mounted Appa again and floated along until the Chief halted the animal. Stepping off of him, he motioned to a generously-sized ice home, bigger than the surrounding buildings and houses.

"Only the finest housing in the city for our visitors," Arnook smiled slightly, walking into the home. "Also, we couldn't have the Princess of the Southern Water Tribe and... Fire Lord staying in just any _regular _residence."

"Oh, Arnook, I don't think we needed to be treated specially," Katara tried to reason with him, because she really believed they didn't. They were no different than any of the other people living there.

"No, no, Katara, I insist," Arnook waved his hand passively at her. Walking down a long, icy corridor that had a few doorways carved into it, they stopped at the end and he pointed to the opening closest to them. "That is your bedroom and the doorway on the right leads to a kitchen, and on the left, a sitting room." Pulling back the cloth that acted as a door, all three of them entered the large space, and with a start, Zuko noticed there was only one bed. It wasn't that he didn't mind sharing a bed with Katara – they had a few times on this trip, more willingly after the Ji and Wu incident – but he wasn't sure if she'd be okay with it for an entire month.

Katara saw the Fire Lord's eyes on the bed, and she took his hand and squeezed it, and he looked down at her, eyes wide. "Thank you, Arnook, for being so hospitable on such short notice."

When Zuko didn't say anything, she elbowed him and smirked, and he stuttered out, "Uh, yes. Thank you."

"I'd say we would have a celebration for your arrival, Katara, but everyone and everything is such a mess." He gave a guilty look to the ground before looking up at them again. Katara shook her head then, silently telling him that man that a celebration need not be wasted on her and Zuko. "But, if you will, would you and Zuko like to join my wife and I for dinner tonight?"

Katara smiled and looking over at Zuko, he grinned back despite his still-shaken mood, and she nodded at the Chief. "We would love to, Arnook."

"We should be ready around six o'clock. Well, then..." Looking around the space, Arnook nodded approvingly at its condition and then smiled at them. "See you then. I'll leave you now to settle in, and I'll find a place for Appa to stay, okay?" Katara nodded gratefully, and at that, Arnook left them alone.

After a few minutes of silence, Katara sat down on the bed, her hands smoothing it out and frowning. She couldn't stop thinking about those faceless people. They would haunt her until she figured out what to do about Koh, and she had no idea when that would be.

Zuko saw the distress in her eyes and sat down beside her, bringing his arm up and around her, squeezing her against him.

"I feel so helpless," she muttered, bringing her face to her hands. She may have had an idea, but no way to physically apply it to capturing Koh.

"You are not helpless in this, Katara – neither of us are," Zuko reassured her, embracing her. "Like you said, we're going to figure this out, and we're going to figure it out together. _I _promise."

He heard Katara sniffle, before looking up and him and smiling a bit. "Jeez," she bit her lip. "How did I end up with a guy like you?"

"You're just lucky, I guess," he laughed, pulling her down on the bed and kissing her, hoping to temporarily drive out the dark thoughts in her mind. They could talk about it later, after dinner. "I know I am." Katara blushed at this, distracted from the facelessness mystery... for now. Grinning at her, he looked around at their bed, and looked down at her. "So, we're sharing a bed, huh? You know, we don't have to s—"

"I _want _to, Zuko," she kissed his warm lips, relishing the heat they gave off. Maybe she'd spent a little too much time away from home, because she was now more accustomed to the warmth of the Fire Nation – and its Lord – than the harsh freezing environments of either Water Tribe. Not that she minded. "I like this, I like us. I'm comfortable with you. And besides," she smirked at this, "It's going to get awfully cold at night around here..." Kissing him deeply then and letting them enjoy the kiss briefly; she suddenly jumped up and crossed her arms at the stunned Fire Lord. He blinked at her and she smirked. "Like Arnook said, we've got some unpacking to do _first_, Mister Fire Lord."

At this, she began to unpack their belongings and after a few seconds of just watching her, did he jump up and begin to help her. Besides, the sooner they got it done, the faster they could back to each other... and Zuko was damn freezing.

~P~

Dinner had gone well that night. They arrived right on time, nicely warmed up from their activities beforehand. The entire time, they managed to avoid the topic of the faceless villagers, much to the happiness of Arnook.

They arrived back at their temporary home at around nine o'clock, exhausted from the events of the day. Zuko washed up first as Katara sat on their bed, thinking excessively about the Koh situation again. When Zuko exited their bathroom, he saw her practically glaring at the ground and raised his eyebrows at her questioningly.

"Something the matter?" he asked, though he knew perfectly well what she was thinking about again.

"Oh, it's nothing," she waved her hand dismissively. He knew this was a lie, but he would ask her about it afterwards. Entering the bathroom and cleaning herself up, Katara wondered if she should tell him. Would he think she was crazy? A part of her thought he would, but another part said that he wouldn't, now that he had seen the patients' condition. But she could trust Zuko. And besides, it was selfish to keep such vital information to herself.

After exiting the bathroom, she saw Zuko already in the bed, dozing off slightly underneath the thick blankets. She smiled, and slipped into the bed as quietly as possible. Despite the Waterbender's efforts to keep quiet, the Firebender's eyelids fluttered open and he turned to look at her.

"Sorry," she whispered apologetically.

"I was just resting my eyes," he fibbed. Scooting closer to each other in favour of the other's body heat in the cold, Zuko wrapped his arms around her and kissed her hair when he snuggled his face into her nape. He pulled back a few seconds later, though, remembering that he was going to question her on what she seemed to know about the city's situation. "Katara..." he breathed. A few moments passed between them before he spoke again. "Do... do you know anything about what happened to the, erm, infirmary patients?" Zuko was visibly uncomfortable thinking about it, and the Waterbender couldn't blame him.

Sighing, she closed her eyes and frowned at him. "Okay, Zuko, the truth is... I'm pretty sure I knew who do it. Like, ninety-nine point nine percent sure." Zuko blinked at her, confused.

"S-seriously?"

"Yeah." She turned away from him slightly. "Those people don't have faces because they were stolen by Koh the Face Stealer. Aang told me about him – if you make even the slightest facial expression and he catches it, he'll steal your face, obviously... for... forever."

Zuko swallowed. "And there's nothing you can do to get it back?"

Katara looked back at him. "I... I don't know that. Aang only explained to me that if you got caught, you went faceless, and that the only ways to avoid losing your face is to keep a perfectly blank expression or to cover your main features."

At this new bit of information, Zuko's mind began to flood with possible ideas. Sure, he was still a bit frazzled at being told by Katara what she knew, which he knew was the truth, but at the same time, his mind could not stop itself from coming up with ideas to help solve the seemingly hopeless situation. Katara could almost see the gears turning in his head.

"We... we could go after him!" the Fire Lord suddenly blurted out, and then blinked rapidly when he realized what he had said. But he had meant it – if they wanted to help, then why not attack this Koh creature directly?

"W-what?" It was Katara's turn to give him a confused look. "Are you insane? Your sister's one thing, a demon is another, Zuko!"

"Just think about it, Katara," he attached his hands to her arms and pulled her closer. "You said we'd find a way to help – what better way to help that going after the thing that did it to them and getting rid of it for good?"

"I-I guess," she blinked, sitting up against her pillow. Turning away, she said, "But where do we even begin? He's a malevolent demon, for La's sake!"

Zuko smiled brightly then. "Well, I figure we could get masks or something to protect our faces when we do in fact go after him," he explained. Katara nodded. "As for actually attacking him... well, I've still got to figure that out. It's only been a few minutes since I was first told about Koh, so... just give me some time. I'll figure something out."

Taking his hand and squeezing it, Katara smiled determinedly. "We'll both figure something out." Zuko smiled back at her. "But first—" Katara stretched her arms above her head and yawned, "—let's get some sleep..."

"Agreed," he whispered, and as the Waterbender slinked down into the pillows again, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. Katara snuggled into Zuko's arms, and before both knew it, they were dozing off again.

~P~

**Author's Notes: **I've been planning out this story in sections – finding Zuko's mom was one section, and this is another, and then when they come home it'll be another, and the ending will be, too. At first, I couldn't think of something interesting to put in this section – for finding Zuko's mom, it was the introduction and issues that came with Kin in Ursa's life. But for the life of me, I couldn't – and then I thought of Koh, and it all came to me! So Koh will be the main conflict of this "section". I've still gotta pull together the next two sections' plot lines, though, but that's a bridge I'll cross when I come to it.

Sorry for the delay on this chapter – it was relatively boring and should have been posted on like Tuesday and Wednesday. Hopefully I'll be able to get the next one out quicker, because I think it's a bit more interesting!


	14. The Proposal

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Avatar.

~P~

_Chapter 14 – The Proposal_

~P~

The next day after sleeping in a bit, the Firebender and Waterbender formulated a plan before going to see Arnook about it. They decided that with their combined power, they would easily be able to defeat Koh and from there, could bargain a deal about giving back the villagers' faces. When he next appeared, they would gear up, and then trap him on the outer edges of town where he couldn't hurt anyone else, and then they would attack him at the same time and take him down. It was perfect.

With confidence in their plan, the pair went to find Arnook. They took a boat to his home, but his wife told them that he was actually at the Council Centre, discussing what actions to take against the particular problem they were all facing. So they made their way to the building and after a little searching around, found the man they were looking for.

"Arnook!"

The Chief turned from the small group he had been talking to, and saw Katara excitedly waving her hands at him, running towards him with Zuko in tow. "Yes, what is it?" he asked, dismissing the group of people, who disbanded as he joined the Fire Lord and Princess.

Slowing down, Katara beamed at him and said, "We know who's been stealing people's faces, and we have a plan to stop him."

Arnook blinked, overwhelmed by the information he had just been told. After a few moments of trying to regain his mind, he said shakily, "W-who?"

Zuko stepped forward then. "It's a demon named Koh. Koh the Face Stealer."

"Okay," Arnook nodded, stepping closer to them now. "That... makes sense. But how do you know this for sure?"

"Aang told me that he had to confront him once when he was in the Spirit World," Katara explained. "If you make a facial expression around him, he will steal your face on the spot."

Arnook leaned against the ice wall, bringing up a hand to his head. "If this is true, then how do you two plan on stopping him? He'll just steal your faces if you try to!" At this, the older man seemed anguished.

"Well, you see," Zuko put his arm around Katara and smiled confidently. "If one covers their features well enough, Koh can't see the entirety of their face and so can't steal it. We figure if we cover our faces with masks and then attack him by luring him outside the city limits, then we can finally put an end to his raids and get him to give back the villagers' faces."

Arnook blinked uncertainly at the teenagers. The looks in their eyes were full of confidence and bravery, but could he really allow a pair of young ones to go after an ancient, powerful demon? They were more than willing and he knew that they were tremendously powerful, but still... it was his job as Chief to instill safety in the city and by allowing them to do it, he would be risking their safety, but by not doing so, he was risking his city's safety. The Chief was at a crossroads. Whose safety did he choose? These children's or his people's?

"I... don't think I can allow you two to do that," he whispered finally. Katara and Zuko gave each other frantic lookS, before turning back to him, trying to prove their points to him.

"Please, sir! We want to help, and our plan is completely valid!" Zuko pleaded. "Just let me help your city – let me prove myself to your people."

"Please, Arnook," Katara joined in, giving the man a begging look. She wanted to help just as much as Zuko did.

Arnook sighed at this. "Do... do you two think you can really defeat a demon spirit?"

Katara and Zuko looked at each other, their eyes flickering with newfound uncertainty. Were they strong enough to do it? When they first talked about it, they had been so sure that they could do it, but now that they had been questioned by another, they didn't really know. Both were powerful, but were they good enough to defeat Koh? They honestly didn't know.

"I... I think we are," Katara said whisperingly a few moments later, looking away from the two at the snowy ground.

"Well—" Arnook was cut off by Zuko.

"We can train. Katara and I can train and become stronger, more accurate. And if Koh strikes before we're ready to take him on, we can drive him off so that he won't steal any faces and then face him the next time he comes. Please, just allow us to help you," Zuko begged, his golden eyes bright with the need to help.

Their argument was now more legitimate in the eyes of the Chief. It made more sense to the old man that they train first and prepare for the fight than jump headlong into it. But there was still something in the pit of his stomach that was telling him that it wouldn't end well, but at the same time, the two's stubbornness and new validity of the situation wouldn't be easily brushed away. Grumbling and clenching his gloved fists, Arnook nodded slowly. "Fine. But you have to train everyday – you two have to be as prepared as possible for Koh. I will provide help. But if you two get hurt or lose your faces, I won't be able to live it down..."

"Thank you, sir, but we won't need backup. When the time comes, you will need to evacuate the city, actually, and then we'll go after him. We won't let you down, Chief Arnook – we will catch Koh, and we will _end _him." Zuko bowed to the man, and Katara smiled up at the authority he was exuding. His words and actions were that of a strong Fire Lord. And the Waterbender herself was ready to train day and night if it meant saving the people of the Northern Water Tribe, as was Zuko.

Just as Arnook was going to open his mouth to speak again, a voice behind him interrupted him.

"That isn't a very intelligent move, young one."

Arnook and the two teenagers turned to look at a very elderly-looking woman standing a few feet away from them, holding an ice cane and frowning.

Arnook's eyes widened. "Priestess Ahnah!" he announced. "What are you talking about?"

"I was talking to that one," she pointed at Zuko, who blinked, surprised. "I was saying that going after Koh isn't a smart idea. He is an ancient, powerful, clever demon, boy. And he will kill you and take your little girly for himself without even a second thought. He is not a merciful spirit."

Katara was a bit shocked at this. What would Koh want with her? Zuko's stomach dropped at the thought of losing Katara and at the thought of his own untimely demise.

"I remember a story my great grandmother used to tell me," the priestess looked to the ceiling, having a difficult time recollecting the story. "It has been passed down through my family for generations – it happened some five hundred years ago. It was the last time Koh appeared in the human world. He attacked our Tribe, seeking revenge against Avatar Kuruk for his recklessness. But more so, revenge for being rejected by Kuruk's fiancée, Ummi. Koh had taken Ummi away previously in the hopes she would return his affections, but she did not, and so he took her face away from her, consequently killing her. Kuruk was infuriated and went after Koh. But not even he could beat Koh and so he never saw Ummi again. So what makes you – oh, mighty Fire Lord – that you can defeat an ancient spirit if not even a previous Avatar can?"

"I think that I'm more responsible that Avatar Kuruk sounds," Zuko challenged, crossing his arms at the older woman. He didn't like it when people challenged his Firebending abilities – it usually ended in an Agni Kai, with him winning.

The priestess was feisty and stubborn, and stepped forward. "You dare challenge both a past Avatar _and _a malevolent spirit? My, you must have a death wish or something."

"What do you know?" Zuko threatened, almost setting one of his fists on fire.

Ahnah caught this, and smirked. "You wouldn't attack an old woman, Firebender."

Zuko growled something and Katara grabbed his arm, restraining him. "Okay, enough's enough!" she shouted, giving him an unimpressed look that calmed him down a bit. Turning to look at the priestess, Katara asked, concerned, "So what are you suggesting that we do?"

Frowning, Ahnah's face now looked more genuinely worried than sarcastic. "I want you two to be reasonable, not foolish. At least take into consideration other possibilities – I could try to contact the spirits, try to get them to calm Koh down, if only—"

"No." Zuko's voice was forceful. "Too many people have suffered. If you were going to contact these so-called spirits, why wouldn't you have done it sooner? Why wait until so many people have lost their faces? I'm sorry if I'm out of line here, but I think that something needs to be done – something physical. And that's why Katara and I are going to go after Koh and finish him off." At this, Zuko began to walk off, with all three pairs of eyes staring at him. Katara blinked at her boyfriend, before muttering a few apologies to Arnook and Ahnah and going after him.

Ahnah blinked at him. "Please, young one, don't be stupid! You'll get yourself killed!"

Zuko froze for a second, before shaking his head. He refused to let the priestess's words get to him!

Upon exiting the building, he finally slowed down and his stride broke into a walk. Katara caught up with him, but instead of giving him hell for being disrespectful to an elder, she simply squeezed his hand and walked around the empty pathways with him.

"I... I'm willing to die for the people of this city," he admitted after a few minutes, and Katara's heart nearly stopped. Turning to her, he breathed in deeply before saying, "And most of all, I'm willing to die for you."

"Don't _talk _like that," she whispered, feeling her stomach flop with hopelessness. The thought of losing Zuko made her just as sick as thinking about her late mother.

"Why? It's true. I'm willing to die for you if it means protecting you from the fate she predicted. Katara..." he lifted her face up to his with his finger, and saw the tears in her eyes and immediately felt guilty. "I..."

"Well, I'm not willing to lose you!" she cried, cutting him off. "I've lost enough people I care about, and you're not going to be next, Zuko! I can't be the reason you die – you've got an entire country to go back to!"

"And you've got a family back in both the Fire Nation and South Pole, Katara," he smiled wistfully then, turning away. "I don't."

"Shut up! Yes, you do!" she beat her hand against his parka, and he pulled her in for a hug, but she pushed him away. "_I'm _your family. The rest of our friends are your family – and though they're not beside you in the Fire Nation, your mother and Kin and San and that baby are your family! We all care about you, Zuko – we all love you." Tears were streaming down her face now, and she was doing nothing to stop them. She was upset and angry now.

He wanted to reach out to her again, but she simply stepped away. After a few minutes of glaring at him, she turned around and began to shake even more violently. Every time she was around Zuko, she felt her emotions tenfold, and now was no different.

Unable to resist comforting her, Zuko came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. He hated to hear her cry, but what he spoke was the truth. He loved her and was willing to do anything to protect her – even if it meant his own death. She needed to realize that.

"If you go, I go," she choked out then.

He blinked at her, and whispered back fearfully, "What?"

"If Koh dare take your life and send you to the Spirit World, then I'm going with you..." she trailed, gripping his arms and pressing her face to his chest.

"No, Katara, I...!" he tried to argue, but she simply shook her head.

"Don't _argue _with me! If you're willing to die for me, then you need to understand that I'm willing to die for you, too..." Her voice was so broken then that Zuko didn't quite know how to feel, except that he didn't want her to cry anymore. He just wanted her to be happy.

"But—" He kissed her gently before continuing, "—what about the others? I can't let you give up your life for something – someone – so trivial as myself, Katara."

Sniffling, Katara bit her lip and looked up at him. "You are the most important person in my life, Zuko. Please, don't put yourself down like that." He peered down at her, and the look in her blue pools for eyes was heartbreaking. She spoke again then, "I always want to be a part of your life, so allow me to be..."

Zuko embraced Katara again then, holding her tightly against him, hoping she could grasp the intense emotions he was trying to convey. Right then seemed like the perfect moment to tell her how he felt – _truly _felt - what with such raw emotion surrounding them. And with this newfound possibility of losing her to a malevolent force, he never felt so compelled to speak those words. So with a wildly pounding heart, he pulled away from her slowly and placed a finger on her chin, bringing her face to look up at his.

"K-Katara," he began, pressing his forehead to hers. "I love you so much and I will do anything in my power to protect you. I just wanted to let you know that so that if one or both of us lose our lives within these next few weeks, that we can at least be at rest knowing how I feel about you. So that we'll be together..." He laced his fingers in her, "...forever." Sure, it was cliche, but true.

Letting a fresh round of tears go, Katara kissed his cheeks and mouth over and over again, crying nonsense to him. Their morning had gone from confident and happy to heartbreaking and full of abounding sadness. Her heart was exploding with undefined happiness at his confession, but at same time, the context they were in permitted nothing but floods of tears. Her waterworks was out of both elatedness and the full brunt of possibly losing him hitting her.

"I love you, too," she admitted after a few moments, holding his face and smiling weakly all while breathing in deeply, trying to cease her tears. Zuko blinked at her, all brain activity stopping as he comprehended her words.

After a few seconds passed without him saying anything, she giggled lightly, which seemed to break him out of his stupor. He wrapped his arms around her, spinning her around, her tears ceasing. When he placed her on the ground again, they peered deeply into each others' eyes.

"If one of us goes," she said then, petting back his hair, "then the other does, too."

Zuko kissed her then, and against her lips, whispered, "Thank you for understanding..." He continued to kiss her, and for a few short moments, felt a perfect bliss surround him. He laced their fingers and smiled to himself. He loved her and would do anything for her and now she finally knew.

When they finally pulled back for air, they smiled at each other, Katara's tears drying up. Their faces were flushed from the cold, the sudden influx of emotions, and their breathlessness from the kisses. The look of happiness in Katara's eyes made Zuko's heart swell, and with a grin, he confessed his feelings once again. "I love you," he whispered, and smiled widely when her face went rosy and her eyes lit up even brighter.

"And I love you," she giggled, and he kissed her again.

Pulling back, he said it again. She laughed before biting her lip and blushing up at him like when they first kissed. He found it adorable. He really did love the Waterbender – everything about her. Her feistiness, stubbornness, passion, love, energy... he felt a genuine burst of it all in his heart every time he looked at her.

"I really do love you, Zuko," she draped her arms around his neck, gazing at him.

"Same to you, my Waterbender," he pulled a loose strand of hair out of her eyes before kissing her cheek again. "And you know what? We're going to win against Koh – for sure. I don't know why we doubted ourselves, because we _know _we are."

Katara laughed again and nodded enthusiastically. "I agree. Now," she placed a hand on her stomach, "I'm starving after that little emotional session of ours. Let's go get some breakfast." She took his hand and squeezed it then, pulling him along the pathway, away from the Council Centre, the Fire Lord smiling goofily the entire time.

Despite how passive she was being now, the Waterbender was brimming with delight at the passion for her love for him. She had put off saying it a month beforehand, but the second the words left his mouth, she felt the overwhelming need to let him know how she felt, as well. She felt more powerfully for Zuko than she had ever felt for Aang, and that was something she needed to establish to the Airbender once they got back. But despite the love she held for the Fire Lord, she couldn't help but acknowledge the sinking feeling in her stomach regarding the situation that brought them to their confessions.

The pair didn't even see the priestess shaking her head at them as they walked away.

"They're next."

~P~

After getting and eating breakfast, which was filled with innocent touches and sheepish smiles, Katara led Zuko around town, just walking about in silence and holding hands. Eventually, though, she took him to the single most important place on their journey – the Spirit Oasis.

Zuko peered around the warm environment curiously – it was beautiful and inviting. He thankfully pulled off his parka upon entering the area and Katara followed these actions. This was the place that Katara would be healing his scars in a bit – this, honestly, caused the Fire Lord a bit of trepidation, but he brushed it off easily.

Then, with a sardonic chuckle, Zuko looked around some more and crossed his arms. "Brings back memories."

"Yep," Katara placed a hand on her hip, and smirked at him. "Want to relive them?"

Zuko blinked at her then, and before he knew it, his feet were encased in ice, and she was laughing at him. "Ooh, _that_. That was a fun one." He rolled his eyes before smiling at her, melting the ice then and going into a fighting stance. "I'd be honoured. Besides, we both need the practice."

"That's what you think, Fire Lord," she taunted teasingly, going into her own fluid fighting stance, her hands out on the defensive. "Now let's stop talking and bend."

Nodding, Zuko closed his eyes and centered himself. Bring his hands inwards towards his chest, he breathed in and out for a few seconds, before his arms jutted out and he sent a ferocious array of fire attacks in Katara's direction, careful to avoid the balanced pond between them.

The Waterbender dodged them, using the water surrounding the area to bend a water whip into shape, and each attack that the Fire Lord sent her way, she extinguished with the end of the water whip. Zuko covered some of the area, getting closer to his girlfriend, and sending another flurry of Firebending attacks forth, he backed her up against one of the posts of the arch in the middle of the Oasis.

He took her wrists in his hands and pinned her against the post, before leaning in, and with a smirk, whispered, "I'll save you from the pirates." Katara laughed lightly, before leaning up and kissing him, which distracted the Fire Lord enough that she pushed him off of her and to the ground, where she froze his hands and feet.

"Ready to surrender?" she asked him.

"Never!" he melted the ice around his feet and hands, and jumped up by twisting his legs around and sending a tornado of fire her way. Katara narrowly ducked away from the attack, and it singed the end of her braid slightly. Standing up straight again, Zuko stood closer to her now, his hands out in front of him, prepared for an up close spar.

Katara stepped forward and threw a punch forward at his face, but he dodged it and swung at her side, which she blocked, and grabbing his wrist, swung him around so she was twisting his arm behind his back. Zuko grimaced a bit at her tight grip that strained his arm, but it was not painful. Sweeping a foot behind him and knocking her down a bit, she caught herself and he freed himself and got in a stance again.

Kicking up, a wave of heat was sent to Waterbender's way, which she avoided as she ran to the side and sent a wave of ice and water crashing down on the Firebender from behind. Zuko spluttered at her, shivering at the cold, cold water he was now drenched in.

"What about now?" she breathed, heaving a bit.

"Nope," he smirked, pulling his hair out of his face and sending another focussed blast in her direction. She dodged it once again, and at this, Zuko charged forward and kicking his legs beneath him, the fire they sent out knocked her feet from beneath her. Running up and straddling her chest, he sat on top of her, hands on either side of her head. Breathing heavily, face close to hers, he whispered slowly, "Are _you _ready to surrender?"

Katara, who had been squirming beneath him, relaxed then, and he thought he had won the spar, and so as he gently went to climb off of her, she suddenly collected a bunch of water and encased him in it. Smirking and giggling, she shot it to the side of the mountain and froze. "I do believe I have won this," she crossed her arms and gave him a confident grin.

Zuko melted the ice once again, but instead of landing on the ground co-ordinately like he wanted, he fell into the freezing water of the small moat that surrounded the Spirit Oasis. Yelping, he floated there for a few seconds before scrambling over to the ground. Katara walked over and gave him a sympathetic look as she offered him a hand, which he took gratefully and pulled himself out of the water.

"I'm sorry," she gave him a smile that was threatening to become a laugh, but also looked a little sorry for the drenched and frozen Firebender. "Here." She moved her hands then and the water removed itself from his clothes and hair for the most part, leaving him slightly damp but still cold. He brought his arms around him and wished for nothing more than the warmth of his lined parka. Thank Agni, he was a Firebender! Within seconds, his inner fire began to heat him up again, but not as quickly as he would have liked.

Katara gave him another apologetic smile before walking forward and wrapping her welcoming arms around him. He gladly accepted her warmth, wrapping his own around her pulling her closer to him. After a few minutes of collecting heat, she pulled back from him reluctantly and led him back to their parkas, which he pulled on gratefully. "C'mon," she said, "let's get you back home."

"By home do you mean Fire Nation? Because never more in my entire life have I wanted to be on Ember Island," he breathed through chattering teeth, stepping closer to her. She giggled at him as they walked along. After a few minutes, he looked to the side and said, "You know, I'm not done sparring with you."

"For now, you are," she told him motherly, glancing at him and his virtually blue nose. "We'll spar again later... after my little Firebender's all warmed up." She laughed at his grumpy expression then.

The Fire Lord grumbled, but did not pull away from his girlfriend, seeking her warmth instead. He'd give her a run for her money that night, while getting warmed up all at the same time – smirking devilishly at his thoughts he pulled closer to her and gave her a charming smile, confusing the Waterbender but causing her to blush, figuring she slightly knew he thoughts.

~P~

Over the next couple of weeks, Koh did not strike at all, which everyone found odd, but nonetheless embraced and enjoyed. Katara and Zuko took these few weeks train themselves to the best of their abilities. Zuko privately practiced his Firebending and he sparred with Katara every few days and he also fought against some of the warriors of the Tribe. Katara trained her Waterbending abilities with the Masters of the village while also practicing and improving her healing abilities in the hopes that she could better her skills before she healed Zuko. This practice with the city's healers also allowed her to assess and help treat Koh's victims, which helped.

During this time, Zuko was teased by some of the village men. This was explainable. Some of them were just joking, while others were just plain cruel to him, and Zuko had to refrain from attacking them. Some of the nastier ones made comments about Katara occasionally, which is when he flipped the most.

It was mostly the women and children of the town who were nicer to him. The younger women – Katara's age and older – were the most... inviting to him. Despite the fact that they many of them had boyfriends of their own or knew he was Fire Lord, they would flutter around him and try to flirt with him. Zuko expressed clearly to them that he wasn't interested, that he was with Katara, but still, they followed him around and gave him _those _looks. Katara noticed this and became annoyed, and one night, after they had had dinner in town together, she voiced this.

Walking along the canals, they passed by a home and just as they were about to walk past the entrance, a small child, five years old at the most, ran outside and towards the canal. A few seconds later, a woman around Zuko's age – nineteen, at the most – came chasing after the little girl, who was trying to jump into the canal, screaming, "I'mma Waterbender!"

The young woman launched forward trying to grab the girl, but before anyone knew it, she was falling into the canal, and the hands of the woman flew to her mouth. But Katara wouldn't let this child fall on her watch! Bending the water around the little girl, the water then wrapped around the child and brought her level to the ground the others were on, placing her in Zuko's awaiting arms.

Releasing the water back into the canal, Katara smiled as the child kicked and screamed excitedly at the water that had just been bent. "That SO cool!" she cooed. The woman, who looked like she was nearly going to faint, let out a breath she had been holding, and stepping forward, she took the little girl from Zuko's arm. Catching the golden orbs of the Firebending turning to smile at his girlfriend, she smiled flirtatiously then, batting her eyelashes. Katara's smile from before dropped, and she crossed her arms at this.

"Thank you so much for saving my little sister, Nukka," she said, doe-eyeing the Fire Lord. Zuko shot an apologetic look to Katara then, who just huffed and turned away – he knew Katara was the one who had done the real saving.

"Ah, it was nothing," he smiled at her and then at the little girl – Nukka – in her arms, who was still kicking about. "My girlfriend here did most of the work, though," he smiled, motioning to Katara, who just turned away from him even more.

The woman looked taken aback then, and her flirty nature was replaced with an almost appalled one, looking Katara over. She didn't understand what this absolute _hunk _of a guy was doing with such a _frumpy little girl_! She was so much easier on the eyes – thin waist, large chest and hips, and big, blue eyes to match. Every boy wanted _her _and this one would be no different! Rolling her eyes then and becoming overconfident, she jutted out her voluptuous hip and placed her hand on it for emphasis. Placing Nukka down then and shooing her inside her home, she outstretched her hand for the Fire Lord. "Well, my name's Nauja," she smiled at him, lowering her eyelids suggestively. Zuko looked at Katara uncomfortably, but she was ignoring him. "And you are?"

"Zuko," he nodded stiffly, inching away from her. "The name's Zuko."

"Oh!" she feigned fake surprise. "_Fire Lord_ Zuko? What a pleasant surprise!" She motioned towards her door then. "Would you like to come inside for a cup of tea? I just made some..."

Before Zuko could protest to Nauja's request, Katara took his hand and huffed out jealously, "_Actually_, Nauja, we were just heading home. To _our _home. Good night to you and your little sister." And at that, the Waterbender dragged Zuko off towards the direction of their ice house. As they walked, she rambled, "The _nerve _of some girls! I mean, you made it so clear that you were dating me and yet she still flirted with you! Couldn't she see me? All those girls care about are you and your damn good looks!"

Zuko stopped her then and pulled her into his arms. Raising an eyebrow and giving her a smug but charming smile, he said, "You're pretty cute yourself, too."

"Oh, shut up and let me be annoyed," she swatted his arm, pulling away from him. Looking at the ground and crossing her arms, she frowned to herself. Despite what Zuko told her, when compared to the other girls around her, Katara felt less that pretty. Most of the girls around her in the Northern Water Tribe were all curvy and tall and everything a boy Zuko's age would want. They were women – Katara didn't fancy herself so. Biting her lip, Katara muttered, "I'm not even that pretty..."

Zuko caught this, but before he could convince her otherwise – because according to him, she was the most gorgeous girl he had ever seen – she turned and gave him a cold look. "Zuko..." she trailed, "what is it you like about me? What keeps you from leaving me? I'd like to know."

Sighing, Zuko walked forward with outstretched hands. He could practically feel the self-consciousness Katara was exuding. "Katara, please—"

"No, Zuko. Tell me."

Sighing again, this time heavier, Zuko didn't even have to think of a second. "First off, you're assertive – you don't let anyone tell you what you want, because you know what you want. You're protective and stubborn and an amazing cook. You're just a fabulous person, Katara – you're always giving up your own personal happiness for others... you're selfless. I've never met another person like you. That's why I love you." Walking up to her again, he took her arm, "And you know, it doesn't hurt that you're beautiful, either."

"_Me_? Beautiful?" she scoffed, "yeah, right..."

"You were born to be the gorgeous heartbreaker you are, Katara," he told her, lifting her chin to look up at him. "Don't let anyone tell you differently. I just hope I'm not next," he joked.

After a few minutes of staring at him, she cracked a grin. "You won't be, I promise."

He walked forward then and closed the short distance between their faces, pressing a soft kiss to her mouth. She smiled and wrapped her arms around him. When she pulled back, she smiled, "I knew there was a reason I kept you around."

"I love you too much for you to get rid of me anyway," he told her honestly, before looping arms with her and continuing their walk home.

The pair walked for a little while more before they were stopped by a group of three little girls, running about and chasing after some kind of toy that wound up and went off in circles. They giggled adorably as they ran in circles, and Katara stopped and laughed with them. "They're so cute," she cooed to Zuko.

"They are," he nodded.

The toy circled its way over to Katara and Zuko, and the little girls stopped when they noticed they were more or less being watched. The oldest one, eight at the most, beamed brightly at the couple, especially at Zuko, and walked closer to them to retrieve her toy. "Hiya!" she called at them, waving her arms.

"Hi," Zuko smiled softly at the little girl, and her face heated up to an adorable little blush, which caused Katara to shake her head and smile to herself. Bending over and picking up the toy, Zuko passed it to the little girl, who glanced in between it and Zuko before grabbing it briskly and bowing slightly, running off back to her group quickly, her ears red with her blush. Upon returning to her little group, all the friends began to chatter, shooting looks back to Zuko and giggling.

Zuko blushed at the attention and waved 'goodbye' at them before turning away and continuing walking with Katara. After they were good distance away from the little girls, Katara laughed a bit. "It seems like everyone's got Zuko-fever," she joked.

Zuko elbowed her then and gave her a smile. "What? Aren't they worth a jealous rant, too?"

Katara rolled her eyes. "Them? No. I like them – they're cute. And, like, eight."

The Fire Lord laughed as they approached their home, pulling her closer to him and kissing her. "Well, I'll cure your case of Zuko-fever, if you'd like..." he whispered in her ear, his lips brushing the skin of it and causing a shiver to run down the length of her spine.

"I'll take an extra dose, please," she teased, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling his lips against her, and from there the pair clumsily found their way into their home, never breaking the kiss once.

~P~

Zuko sat up from his bed, where he had been relaxing just a bit. His tensed up muscles strained at this movement, and he grumbled, rotating his arms. "Dammit..." he muttered, rubbing at it. He had been unusually stiff lately, and he figured it was from the long hours of rigorous training he did each day. And as much as it was beginning to physically tucker the Fire Lord out, he knew that he couldn't stop – he never knew when Koh could strike, and so he had to be prepared as possible! But still, did it have to be so painful?

He had gone back to his temporary home early that afternoon, having decided to end training early in favour of allowing himself a few moments of just relaxing. He was planning on going back originally to continue, but feeling the ache of his entire body, he decided against it. He would just give himself a few hours more to recuperate...

Standing up and groaning, he thought about what he could do for those next few hours. He wasn't just going to lie around, no. He knew that by just laying around, his muscles would just stiffen and that would be even worse. He had to keep moving, just at a less straining pace.

He thought for a few more moments, and smiled – he could go visit Katara. Most of the time, the two woke up in the early hours of the morning, got all done up and had a few minutes to talk, and then went their separate ways for the day, not able to really see each other until late that night. He didn't enjoy the lack of time spent with the Waterbender, and so he could surprise her by showing up for a quick visit. It'd be nice to see her, and it would keep his muscles from fully stiffening, but also relax them at the same time.

Walking over to his parka and pulling it back on, he ventured outside of their home and looked around, confused. The only issue with his idea was that he couldn't navigate around the village for the life of him – all the ice buildings looked the same to the Firebender, and he couldn't get anywhere successfully without Katara. He rolled his eyes to himself then – she was at the healing centre, honing her abilities and treating people, so how hard could that be to find? He knew that it was only a few hundred yards from their home... he could find it!

Nodding to himself confidently, he turned to his left and began to walk down the canal. He walked in silence for a few moments, before coming to a dome-shaped building that he was ninety nine point nine percent sure was the healing centre.

He stepped forward and pulled back the piece of cloth in the doorway, and when he looked around, he blinked in surprise and embarrassment. Instead of a room full of women healing and Waterbending, he was instead greeted by an array of men around his age and older gathered in the room, some working feverishly at something while the others just stared at the Firebender.

Blinking rapidly, Zuko flushed. "U-uh, sorry. Wrong building, I guess." He was about to turn away and run out, but then he stopped and turned back. Holding up a finger, he asked, "Do any of you, um, know where the healing centre is?"

When a few moments passed when no one said anything, Zuko assumed they weren't going to tell him anything because they knew he was the Fire Lord. Just as he was about to turn away, someone laughed, "A bit out of your element there, flame boy?" Zuko stopped then, but didn't turn around.

"He's probably just looking for some random girls to pilfer and rape – that's what your father and soldiers did, right? That's why I've got two little half-blood nephews?" A boy stood up and walked closer to Zuko, smirking at his comment, his friends laughing from behind him.

The Fire Lord felt his soreness fly out the window then as he was filled with angry adrenaline and he flew around, clenching his fists. He could take quips at himself, but at his people? Not a chance in hell!

He was about to open his mouth to defend his country, but from his side, a man about his age placed a hand on his shoulder. Zuko looked over at the man, who shook his head at him. Zuko looked back at the smirking boy in front of him – reminding him very much so of Michi, when they first met, at least – and then at the man beside him. Closing his eyes and huffing then, he retracted his burning hand and turned away. "Whatever," he breathed through clenched teeth. The boy behind him laughed cruelly and before he knew it, the man who had restrained him pushed the boy to the ground with quite a bit of force.

"Get lost, Aput," he snarled at the boy, who grimaced but got up and left them alone. Glaring in Aput's direction, the man turned back to Zuko, who was already halfway out of the tent. "Hey!" he called after the Fire Lord, placing his hand back on his shoulder and stopping Zuko.

"What?" Zuko snapped, pulling his arm out of his grip.

The man put his hands up in front of him defensively. "Hey, hey, I'm your friend here. Don't freak out at me." Zuko relaxed then, feeling sore all over again and resisting the urge to groan.

"Sorry," the Fire Lord apologized, shoulders slacking.

"So, you're Fire Lord Zuko," the man said, and Zuko nodded. "The name's Kesuk." He outstretched his hand friendlily then, and Zuko took it cautiously. He wrapped his arm around Zuko's shoulder as though they were old friends then and led him back in the building, and the Fire Lord was thankful that most of the men had gone back to working on whatever they were previously instead of paying him any mind.

Kesuk stopped at the other side of the room, and bending down to grab some type of blue material, he asked nonchalantly, "So, who are you making your pendant for?"

Zuko blinked – pendant? What for? "Excuse me?" he blinked at him.

Kesuk held up a long piece of dark blue ribbon then, and frowned. "Your proposal pendant? I assume that's why your here, right?"

Zuko was about to protest, when he stopped and thought. Proposal pendant? That's what the men were working on? He looked around the room, and now that he looked closer, he could see them cutting and carving away at the little stones that acted as the actual pendant. Stuttering out the first words that came to mind, Zuko nodded and said, "Y-yes." His mind didn't question him and so he just went with it.

"Well, who for, then?" Kesuk asked, walking back to the other side of the building, Zuko following. When Zuko didn't answer immediately, Kesuk pulled back the flap of cloth and pointed across the canal into a building filled with women who were practicing healing, and when Zuko saw Katara sitting there, giggling beside a girl, he realized with a start that the healing centre was on the _other _side of the waterway. He felt like an idiot. "You see the girl beside Princess Katara?" Kesuk pointed out, and Zuko nodded. The girl had flowing dark hair and blue eyes – quite beautiful. "That's who I'm making mine for – her name's Sedna. Doesn't have a clue and I can't wait." Kesuk had a dreamy look on his face.

As though on cue then, Sedna looked up and across the canal, and catching her honey's eye, waved at him and blew a kiss. Katara looked up, as well. Kesuk waved back with a bright smile, and seeing Zuko beside Kesuk, Katara beamed and motioned her own hand at the boy. Zuko blushed a bit and waved back, and Kesuk turned to him, his eyes wide. "Princess Katara? Are you crazy?" At that, Kesuk pulled Zuko back inside. "You have to be pretty damn brave if you think Princess Katara's just going accept your proposal pendant, Fire Lord or not! Lots of guys wanna propose to her, but you know..."

Zuko blinked at him, before rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "Actually, I'm already in a relationship with her."

"Oh," Kesuk's eyebrows rose then and he smirked. "So you're the one she's got eyes for. Sedna says she talks about you a lot." Zuko blushed at this – she did? "Always has good things to say about you – you're a lucky one, Zuko."

Zuko sighed, thinking about the Waterbender. He really was. His mind went back to proposing then and his heart started to beat wildly. He was in love with Katara and he knew it wasn't beyond himself to say that he had thought about proposing to her on more than one occasion. He had thought about it multiple times back when they were staying with his mother, but he always refrained from the possibility because he always thought she would reject him. There was always that underlying nag that she was still _technically _with Aang that kept him from it, too. The fact that his country wouldn't take too nicely to a Waterbender in the royal Fire family didn't help, either...

But when it came down to things, he did want be more with her – he wanted to one day call her his wife. They were still young, sure – but he was ruling a country and he was only eighteen! And besides – he loved her and she loved him, and that's all that really mattered. Also, who was to say that they would get married immediately afterwards? They obviously wouldn't – they'd wait a few years, let their relationship develop a little more. A giddy feeling overtook Zuko then and he smiled – was he really thinking about doing it? Proposing marriage to the woman he loved? He sure was. And to think – he'd simply come down there to go and say 'hi' to her, and now he was going to propose!

"Yes, I am," Zuko nodded then, his heart racing.

A few moments passed before Kesuk asked, "So, do you have the materials you need to make it?" Zuko shook his head. "Well, we've got some general materials here – like thread. But if you need specially coloured ribbon, you'll have to go the market and get that yourself." Zuko nodded – he was already forming an idea of how he wanted it to look. He wanted it to symbolic of their two nations. "Another thing, too, because you're a newcomer," Kesuk explained, pulling his hair out of his face, "all the men have been gathering here in this building in secret to make them – you see, Arnook has kind of, sort of unofficially forbade any proposals until Koh is dealt with. This is because Koh seems to mainly attack couples, and so he figures by minimizing openly-known proposals, he'll minimize attacks and their possibilities. So if you want to work on it, you should probably come here, you know... so you don't get caught and then get us all in trouble."

Zuko nodded again – it only made sense, for the protection of Arnook's people. "It's not like I could get away with working on it at home," he said then, and Kesuk gave him a questioning look. "We share a house," Zuko explained, but the second he said it and Kesuk smiled mischievously, he regretted his wording. Blushing, he started, "N-not like that, Kesuk..."

"You sly dog, you," Kesuk joked, clapping Zuko on the back, laughing. Zuko smiled a bit – this guy wasn't half bad.

After a few minutes more of talking to Kesuk, who turned out to be nineteen, Zuko walked out of the building, beaming, determined to go to the market and gather his supplies before Katara got home for the night. He was going to profess his love to her, and he couldn't wait until the day he would kneel down in front of her and ask for her hand in marriage.

~P~

**Author's Notes: **Name etymology! Ahnah is Inuit for Wise Woman, Kesuk is Inuit for either Sky or Water (either, or), and Sedna is the name of an Inuit sea goddess. Nukka means Younger Sister and Nauja means Sea Gull and Aput means Snow! Kesuk and Sedna will be reoccurring, so yeah.

Also, something that patty cake rocks pointed out, you guys might not be getting these updates in your e-mail, one, at all, or, two, until a few days later. I don't quite know what's going on there, but I just thought I'd clarify that. G'day to you all, now!


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